Requited
by MineAlone
Summary: Troy and Gabriella have always been fond of one another. However, when Troy moves back home after 4 years away at university, it's like they are each new people. The girl he once considered a little sister is now an eloquent and beautiful young woman, and the boy she adored is the person she's been longing for.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello folks! Does anyone even still read HSM fanfiction? It's still one of life's little pleasures for me. Because of that, I'm going to ATTEMPT to create a multi-chapter fanfic – if you know me, you know how that may go._

_My intention is to upload every Sunday._

CHAPTER 1

It had been an hour since Troy found Gabriella asleep in his bed. He'd decided to leave her sleeping for the time being. She looked warm and content buried in his old, red comforter and cuddling a soft pillow. She was different. When she was younger, she'd taken naps in Troy's room too. Her little toes barely reaching to the middle of the bed. Now her slim legs filled up almost the whole length. He'd known it was Gabriella, though, because of her mass of shiny, dark curls – shielding most of her face – and her soft, kitten-like snoring. He remembered both well. _The struggle of curly hair, my darling_, Gabriella's mother had often said while trying to tame her curls, and he remembered the way Gabriella's big brown eyes had always seemed so sad that there wasn't much her mother could do to keep her hair smoothed down. However, Troy had always given her a cheeky grin to make her smile, reminding the little girl that curls weren't meant to be tamed. Troy also remembered that Gabriella snored just loud enough for people to notice. It was soft and light, full of mewls of sleepy contentment. Troy decided to leave her in peace.

…

He looked up when he heard her feet shuffling down the carpeted stairs, "I was wondering who the girl in my bed was." He smiled up from the book he was reading to find her blushing profusely.

"Troy?" She ran her fingers through her tangled curls, and he watched as she crossed her arms over her chest. Despite recognizing her, she wasn't the same girl he remembered. She made her way closer to him, and as she approached, Troy realized that this was a Gabriella he didn't quite know. One he had never gotten a chance to know. He hadn't expected her to grow up, especially not into the breathtaking creature he was now staring at. He cocked his head to the side, though, finding things about her that he remembered the most as she approached him – the almost invisible freckles that painted the bridge of her nose; the golden flecks in her pretty brown eyes. As she walked closer and brushed her hair over her shoulder, he noticed more about her, like the sparkle on her little finger.

"That's me." He smirked, happy to see her after so many years. He wanted to reach out and touch her, bring her into his arms, and if she was still fourteen, he would have done just that. He would have wrapped her in his embrace and kissed her forehead like he'd done when he'd left for university, but now was different. She was nearly four years older, practically a new person.

Intimacy filled the room as Gabriella snuggled into the opposite corner of the couch, offering a timid smile, "It's been a long time, Troy." He liked the sound of his name leaving her lips.

Troy had always liked Gabriella. Even as a little girl she was kind and generous. She was smart and inquisitive. He remembered once when she was five and he was nine, she'd looked up at him and asked him if he would be her Valentine. She'd even handed him a big, homemade card that she'd perfected with glitter and scented markers. Her eyes had looked the same as they did now, bright anticipation for what he might say next. When had she become so grown up, though? He wondered. Her lilting voice seemed laced with a new sort of gentleness. Everything about her seemed soft and warm and ready to melt in his hands if he was to touch her.

Troy nodded, "It has." The words were huskier than he'd intended. "The last time I saw you, you were a little girl." Then, like he'd done when she was five, he took her hand in his. As he did so, he looked down to find a tiny, tarnished ring on her pinky finger. "Is this the ring I gave you before I left for college?"

"It is," she smiled, "it happens to be my most beloved piece of jewelry."

"I can't believe it's lasted so many years."

Gabriella smiled even bigger and nodded.

"I'm glad you've loved it so well. I'm also glad to see you, but if I remember correctly, you used to live next door." The pretty blush crept to her face again. Instead of a verbal reply, she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, leaving him with no option other than to embrace her. It was everything he wanted. He had missed her more than he knew. In the manner that they had been sitting, when Gabriella lunged forward, it ended with her practically straddling him. He felt her breath against his neck and her hair tickling his face. He felt her heart beating and smelled her warm scent. Each a new and familiar sensation all at once, but he was surprised to feel the roundness of her body. It was filled with curves. The last time he had held her in his arms, she had been fourteen years old, still in the body of a child – a late bloomer who was all sharp angles and knobby knees. She had changed. He felt the swell of her breasts against his chest, only their shirts acting as a barrier; and he could feel the rounding of her hips beneath his hands. He smiled at the realization that she smelled the same as he remembered.

He pushed her a little bit away so that he could look at her. He smiled in her face and tucked her hair behind her ears. She was still the Gabriella he adored – even if a bit different. Her nose still curved, and her eye lashes still fluttered shyly. They stared at each other for a long time, Troy's fingers running affectionately through her hair. He'd done this when she was little, but now was different, more intimate.

"I've missed you," Gabriella finally mumbled, pulling away slightly, leaving Troy's hands aching for her. Her cheeks were still pink, and Troy couldn't help but think about how beautiful she had become in the years he'd been gone. "Sorry I was in your bed."

He moved just slightly closer to her, eradicating the space between them as their knees touched. His fingers continued to brush the curls out of her face. Again, his heart jumped at the nostalgia of it all, relishing in the memory of doing this when she was young as he was comforting her. "I've missed you too. You're the same, but I can tell some things have changed."

"Is that bad," her breath hitched as he began to twirl a curl between his fingers, not able to give her up just yet.

"No," he smiled largely, "I guess I've changed too."

She nodded.

"So why were you sleeping in my bed?" Troy asked after a few moments of silence.

Gabriella was sitting next to him still, her legs tucked beneath herself, a large shirt – one Troy suspected was his – pulled over them. "My parents are out of town until tomorrow, and your parents insist I don't sleep next door all alone…just in case."

"Well, you were a nice surprise. I'd forgotten that it has been so long. Glad to see you still snore."

Troy watched as she bit her lower lip, "I do not snore," she replied indignantly after a moment, but the shine in her eyes told him that she was trying hard not to smile. She didn't acknowledge his comment about not seeing her in a long time. He wondered why.

"What are you doing back in Albuquerque?" Gabriella asked him.

"You don't know? I'm surprised my mom hasn't been telling everyone. I was accepted to grad school at U of A. I'm studying nutrition, and I'll be doing some research with East High's Family and Consumer Sciences department."

She smiled, "Imagine that. Troy Bolton a graduate student and researcher? What happened to the boy that was only interested in flinging basketballs?"

Troy shoved her playfully, "Ha ha. Someone has jokes. What happened to that sweet little girl I remember?" He retorted.

"She grew up," Gabriella said it so seriously that Troy was taken by surprise. Sadness flitted across her face, but before he could question it, she was up. "I'll make us some lunch to make up for all the times you had to make me mac and cheese."

Troy followed her into the kitchen, and he watched as she rummaged through the refrigerator. She knew more about his kitchen than he did, "Your hair's gotten really long."

"Yeah," she looked over her shoulder, and Troy was caught off-guard by how easily she took his breath away, "I started growing it out a couple of years ago."

"What made you decide to do that?"

"It's easier to hide behind," her brown eyes went large, "I don't know why I told you that."

"What do you mean? Why would you need to hide?" He took the sandwich supplies from her hands, their fingers brushing, and sat them on the kitchen table.

She shrugged off his question, "I'm sure you remember high school. What would you like to drink?"

"Water is fine." He didn't press her anymore, but he did think seriously about what she said, and he was disheartened to realize that he wasn't surprised. He knew Gabriella's tender heart: the way she cried at hearing Aesop's fable of the lazy grasshopper destined to freeze to death in the winter, the way she had sat for hours at the park, picking flowers and humming quietly to herself – other children ignoring her. Troy knew what it meant to survive in high school. Popular students were often callous and sometimes even a bit cruel. Troy adored what made Gabriella _Gabriella_ but he knew that her natural tendencies were not the typical qualities of a popular high school student. Although, he was surprised to learn that her beauty had not shot her right to the top of the hierarchy.

"Here you go," Gabriella handed Troy a sandwich with the works.

"Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Troy was certain that his first day at East High School would be fine. He knew the faculty members, and he was excited to start working with them. He felt like he was prepared for anything. Almost anything. He was not prepared for a flat tire at 7:15 when he had to be at school by 7:40 to prepare for his short presentation to faculty before they started teaching for the day.

"Mother fuck…" he mumbled to himself. His dad was already gone for an early morning workout. But he still had options, he reminded himself. He could borrow his mom's car and call her a cab – since she wouldn't be ready to carpool any time soon. Or he could call a cab for himself, but would it be here in the next five minutes? His quick mental list of pros and cons was interrupted by the lock clicking of a car in the next driveway.

"Bye, Mama," Gabriella waved to her mother as she walked over to her car.

"Gabriella! Gabriella!" Troy called and trampled through the bushes to meet her. "Gabriella, can I ride with you? I have a flat."

She smiled, "On the first day of school. Tisk tisk, Mr. Bolton." She was wearing a dress that was as demure as her smile. "Also, look at what you did to our landscaping," she pointed to the bushes and flowers that now lay flat.

He rolled his eyes playfully, "I'm sorry. I'll fix them I promise," he reached out to clutch her hand, "Can I ride with you or not?"

"Only if you drive," she handed him her keys, "I want to finish painting my nails."

"Very uncharacteristic of you," his eyebrow rose as he opened the door for her before rounding the car to climb into the driver's seat.

"It's for chem lab. The first day is just an introduction, and we get to mess around with dyes. We're supposed to wear gloves at all times, but this professor doesn't really care, and we aren't using anything harsh today. The dye comes off skin relatively easily, but not your nails. I hate wearing the gloves. They always make the skin on my hands break out."

Troy nodded as he pulled out of her driveway, "That sounds much more like the Gabriella I know and adore."

She crinkled her nose, "Are you implying that I'm not feminine?"

"I'm implying that cosmetics have never been a priority for you."

"How would you know? You last saw me when I was fourteen."

"I still know you," he winked at her and watched her smile.

"Well, Mr. Smug, did you know that blue is my favorite color?" she wiggled her fingers for him to see her freshly coated blue nails.

"I do now. Your favorite color was red when you were three."

"It was?"

"Yes, because it was the color of strawberries and my bedroom. Your reasons, not mine."

Gabriella laughed, "What can I say? I was a thoughtful toddler."

"Why is blue your favorite color now?" Troy looked over at her and noticed the blush that began to creep up her neck. He smiled as he realized he could get used to learning these subtle things about her. He liked the way her embarrassment was shy to show itself. It was the most characteristically Gabriella thing he could think of.

She shrugged, "Oh, you know, it's just a nice color. Calm, peaceful, whatever…" she trailed off.

"You're lying," Troy called her out with a guffaw, "You are so lying! C'mon, Gabriella, are we really going to play this game?"

"I have no idea what you are insinuating, Mr. Bolton," she denied.

"I'll tell you why my favorite color is yellow."

"Your favorite color is yellow?"

"Yes, it is, because from the time you were five all the way up to when you were fourteen and I left, and even now, I see," he motioned to the yellow flower clip that held her bangs back, "you have adorned your curls with yellow flowers."

"Troy," her voice was gentle and quiet, and she reached over to place her hand on his arm, "you remember that?"

"Of course I do. You would sit for hours making flower chains that you would wear all day. In the winter your mom bought you a headband with fake daisies, and you wore it like every day of fourth grade."

Her hand was still on his arm, and she'd turned her body in her seat so that she could look at him more directly. Her brown eyes were mesmerizing as she swooned over his sweet words.

"So," he said softly, placing one hand briefly on her hand that laid on his arm, "there is no way your reason can be any cornier or more embarrassing than mine, so just tell me why blue is your favorite color."

"Because no one has ever looked at me the way you do, Blue Eyes."

…

Troy sat in his dad's office, waiting for his ride home. He had spent most of his day at East High explaining informed consent and confidentiality procedures to faculty, but he had spent just as much of the day replaying what Gabriella had said to him in the car and wondering how he looked at her. Was it really that special? He loved her no doubt. He'd known her for her entire life. He was at the hospital with his parents on the day she was born. He'd babysat her, taken her to soccer lessons, let her tag along when he played basketball at the park. She was the little sister he never had, so he guessed it made sense that the way he looked at her was extra affectionate.

But when she'd said it, when she'd admitted that no one had ever looked at her the way he did, he felt something strange and different. It was like she was telling him her most heartfelt secret; and as she told him, it felt almost like dread and elation at the same time. He wasn't sure what it meant, but maybe Gabriella felt it too. After all, no one looked at him the way she did. Not even his parents looked at him with the same kind of happiness radiating from their eyes.

"Coach Bolton," his thoughts were interrupted. He looked up to see a student standing in the doorframe. "Oh, sorry. I was looking for Coach Bolton."

"You just got me," Troy smiled. "He's my dad. Maybe I can help you."

The girl in front of him walked into the office, "I have a question about the physical health syllabus. It says we have journal entries due on the twenty-third of October, but are those supposed to be based on class discussions, readings, or what?"

"Great question," he took the syllabus from her hands and flipped to the page that discussed journals, "Let's see what ole Dad has written." He perused the syllabus for a moment before addressing her again, "if you'll look here, it says that there are five journals due that day," he pointed. "You have way more than five classes, so I don't think my dad will expect a journal about each class. Looks like the bulk of the journal will consist of readings and how they relate to class discussions as well as real world topics." He paused for a moment, "When he gets here, why don't I ask him to spend some time next class talking more about this?"

"Thank you! That would be really helpful."

"Not a problem."

The girl smiled before leaving Coach Bolton's office. Troy sent his dad a quick text to let him know that his physical health student had stopped by, and by the time he had finished the short text, someone else was at the door.

"Knock, knock." It was Gabriella. He looked up at her and she seemed different, but almost imperceptivity so. He wasn't sure what it was.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"I'm riding with you?"

"Yeah. I saw your dad in the hallway. He said he wants to meet with some students because it's never too early for basketball season."

Troy chuckled, "That sounds like him. I'd rather ride with you anyway. Let me just get all my stuff."

Gabriella smiled prettily, "Okay," she moved into the office and sat in one of the chairs. "How was your first day as a researcher?"

"Better than my first day as a high school student. You?"

"The same as the last three years. Is college nice?" Gabriella asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you enjoy it? Are people the same as high school, or is it different?"

"I do enjoy it," he told her as he gathered all his papers and books. "People are different for the most part, but I guess it also kind of depends on your major."

"I was accepted at Stanford," she looked up at his thoughtfully. "I'm double majoring in political science and international policy with a minor in ethics – forever the overachiever," she made fun of herself to hide her inhibitions.

Troy noticed, but didn't question her, "Wow! So basically you are going to change the world."

"I don't know about that. You think they'll like me?" She asked, and Troy could hear the lump forming in her throat – the same way he remembered it sounded right before she cried.

"What happened today, Gabriella?" He came to sit by her.

She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, "Boys being boys, and girls being girls. I know not to wear this dress again," she mumbled.

"You look beautiful."

"You say that like it's a good thing."

Her comment caught him off guard, but he didn't have time to ask her about it, because she had stood up and busied herself with tidying the things on Coach Bolton's desk. She didn't seem to want to discuss it anymore. He watched her for a moment before walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. Their eyes met for a few long seconds before Gabriella leaned into him. He hugged her.

"They shouldn't hurt you, Gabriella."

"I'm used to it, Troy," her words were muffled against his chest.

"You shouldn't be. Want me to talk to them? Make them stop?" Troy moved slightly away so that they could look into one another's eyes.

"You were always so sweet and protective, but you've been gone a long time. I've had to learn how to protect myself. And sometimes that means ignoring it."

Troy ran his fingers down the side of her face before cupping her cheek in his palm, "I've missed you so much, Gabriella. I'm sorry I left you." The anguish in his eyes and the sincerity of his words made Gabriella cry.

She sniffed back her tears as she continued to clutch him, "Don't be sorry," she knew he had to go away for school, "I'm so proud of you."

"I'm proud of you."

"Let's go home," she pulled away just a bit.

Troy reached down and squeezed her hand before lacing their fingers together, "Let's go home," he agreed. As they walked out of the school together Troy couldn't help but comment, "I don't understand why they are mean to you, though."

"Guys think I'm pretty, and girls don't like that, so I'm accosted on both sides," she said it so matter-of-factly that it hurt his heart.

"That's not right. I can't stand the idea of anyone hurting you."

"And that's one of the reasons I love you."

They made it to her car. Troy opened the door for her before entering his door and starting the engine.

"I'm really glad you're back, Troy," he looked over and saw the tell-tale blush of her cheeks, "You were always my only friend – even if I was just the pesky, little neighbor girl."

Troy chuckled quietly, "You were never pesky. I liked having you around, Gabriella. It was like I got the little sister I never had."

Gabriella lowered her gaze and nodded. She looked up at him as if to say something, but the chirp of her cell phone cut her off. She glanced at it briefly, but Troy's eyes never left her.

"Mom wants us to pick up some produce before we get home. Your family is coming over for dinner."

Troy nodded and finally looked away. He started the car and kept his eye on the road, but admitted something to her, "For the record, I'm glad I'm back too."


	3. Chapter 3

_So…I don't know what things are like in your part of the world, but in my little part, most things have been shut down/closed. Because of that, I've got lots of extra time in my home. Amidst all the panic, chaos, and fear, I can say that the silver lining for me is that I've had some time to rest and write. Because of that, I'm going to just go ahead and upload everything I have for this story – maybe a boredom buster for you, the readers, if you're also stuck mostly indoors!_

_That being said, it might take me a little longer than a week to upload once I get all the chapters I currently have up there. Please be patient with me :)_

CHAPTER 3

"I've missed your cooking, Auntie," Troy said to Elena Montez as both families ate. Everyone was together. The Montezes had prepared an elaborate meal for the two families. Lucille had even convinced Troy's younger brother, Trent, to take some time away from frat life to have dinner with everyone.

"Well, I'm glad someone appreciates it. These two," she motioned to Gabriella and Mr. Montez, "would eat take out every day if I let them."

Beneath the table, Troy gave Gabriella's hand a quick squeeze in solidarity. Both sets of parents seemed to be enjoying teasing their children. It had started with Jack Bolton's comment about not realizing that their home had been missing the dirty gym shorts smell for so long until he walked into Troy's room today and realized it was back. Troy's face had reddened as the table laughed – only Gabriella stifled her giggles to turn her face toward him sympathetically.

"Enough teasing," Lucille Bolton laughed. "We have a lot to catch up on. Oh, I know! Gabriella, why don't you sing something for us?"

"You sing?" Troy turned to a red-faced Gabriella.

"My point exactly," Lucille used her hands to emphasize her words, "Troy has been gone way too long."

"I don't really –" Before Gabriella could even attempt to refuse, her parents were encouraging her as well.

"That's a great idea. Gabriella has a beautiful voice."

"Please don't make me," Gabriella begged in a small voice.

"Honey, there's nothing to be afraid of. We all love you," her mother assured.

Without thinking, Troy reached over to brush some of her hair out of her face, "I would love to hear you sing, Gabriella."

She was quiet for a few moments before she sighed softly, "Okay."

As they all moved into the living room to hear Gabriella sing, Trent nudged Troy and whispered, "Try to keep it in your pants, bro. She's not eighteen for the next three months."

Troy punched Trent's arm, "Shut up. You know I'm not thinking about that."

"Could have fooled me. I mean, I don't blame you. I want to hit that too."

Troy pulled his brother back a bit and whispered harshly to him, "Dude, shut up. I don't want to hear you talk about Gabriella like that."

"Chill, it was just a joke. It's not like she's some precious virgin you need to protect."

That comment gave Troy pause, but he brushed it aside, following everyone to hear Gabriella sing.

Once everyone had made it to the living room, where a nervous Gabriella stood in front of them, they sat in anticipation.

"I'm just singing one, and it's short." She busied herself with turning on the speakers, and soon, slow, sultry instrumentals wafted through the air.

"Birds flying high, you know how I feel. Sun in the sky, you know how I feel," Gabriella sang the first couple of lines to Nina Simone's "Feeling Good," and Troy was entranced. He listened to her words, and watched her body move. She had both hands placed on her abdomen. Her eyes were closed as she sang, and she was enchanting. Her lips parted perfectly for each word. He was amazed by how she stretched some words and shortened others, yet it all blended perfectly.

She finished and Troy didn't want it to end, "Please sing one more, Brie." He didn't even acknowledge anyone else in the room. He was so transfixed on the girl in front of him.

"Only one more," Gabriella warned. "And consider this your home coming gift." She looked at his face and couldn't deny him one more song, but she certainly would not be singing three. She was sure of that.

Troy grinned at her and she couldn't help but smile as well before beginning her next song, "Yes, I do. I believe that one day I will be where I was right there, right next to you," it was Sam Smith, and Troy thought he was going to die from the beauty she brought to an already lovely song.

"You told me not to cry when you were gone, but the feeling's overwhelming. It's much too strong," when she sang this line and looked directly at him, his throat clenched with emotion. How did such a shy, sweet, quiet girl have such a powerful and moving voice?

…

"How did you learn to sing like that?" Troy asked as he and Gabriella sat alone in his old treehouse. Their parents had gone to bed some time ago, but Troy had texted Gabriella – asking her to meet him up there. When she'd arrived, he'd had all her favorites from when she was young: hot chocolate, blueberries, cotton candy, and cheese sticks.

The sight had elicited several bouts of delighted giggles, and she'd been thrilled. A secret picnic with Troy Bolton was something Gabriella had dreamed of when she was younger. When he had left for university, she thought her love for him would leave as well. She thought it was just a silly, school-girl crush, something that blossomed because he was the only boy she really knew, and maybe it was, but her love had grown, nonetheless. She had spent the last four years missing him, imagining him, pretending that he loved her too. He was the only person she had ever loved in the romantic sense. And now that he was back, treating her to secret picnics, and telling her that yellow was his favorite color, she was convinced that she would never love anyone the way she still loved Troy.

She looked up from the feast in front of her to see Troy staring at her, and the way his blue eyes sparkled reaffirmed that blue would forever be her favorite color. The thought terrified her just a bit, because she knew Troy didn't love her the same way. How could he? He was a bona fide adult. Surely he had met countless captivating women over the course of his life; and surely, an awkward seventeen-year-old girl – a girl whom he had babysat and always seen as a little sister – would never be the person he would want to settle down with.

Troy moved closer to Gabriella, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to breathe or hide her feelings for him. His eyes never left hers as he popped a few blueberries in his mouth, still waiting for her to answer his question, "Well?"

"Well what?" She prayed he couldn't hear the hitch in her voice.

"How did you learn to sing like that? It's amazing."

Gabriella shrugged, "I don't know. I just like music. You know my parents. They discover one thing I'm interested in, and they go above and beyond to make sure I can pursue it. I was singing one day, and they heard me. My mom asked if I wanted to take some lessons. I said sure, because I knew it would make her happy. I never really liked the lessons – or singing out loud for that matter – but I do a lot of things to make them happy."

"Your voice is so beautiful," Troy told Gabriella sincerely. "I could listen all day."

"I'm not singing for you again," Gabriella stuck her tongue out before taking a bite from the cotton candy in front of her.

"I'm not asking you to sing for me," he stuck his tongue out at her as well before wrapping her up in his embrace, "but I do hope you'll keep singing, even if it's just for you. Talent like that shouldn't go to waste."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

_Flowers for the most beautiful birthday girl I know._

Gabriella sat in the library during free period, replaying Troy's words in her head over and over. As a teen, she had never cared much for her birthday. She never wanted a party. The most she would do was indulge her parents by letting them take her out to dinner at a restaurant of her choosing. They would shower her with affection and thoughtful gifts before going home; and upon arrival at home, Jack and Lucille would have a small token of their affection ready for her as well. It was sweet and kind, and Gabriella was appreciative, but really all her birthday did was serve as a reminder that she still had not figured out her purpose for being on this Earth. But she felt differently having Troy be a part of her birthday this year. In the grand scheme of things, he had only missed four of her birthdays, meaning he had been privy to the vast majority. This felt different, though. When she was younger, he had always cheered her on loudly as she made a wish and blew out the candles. He would squish her in his embrace and offer her well wishes. He had not done that for this birthday.

That morning, as she had said goodbye to her parents and headed out the door, there he was. Troy had been leaned casually against her car, a bouquet in hand. No one besides her parents or grandparents had ever given her flowers. He was beaming at her as he handed her the bouquet and proclaimed that they were for the most beautiful birthday girl. Then, he had asked her if he could take her to dinner tonight to make up for so many missed birthdays, and she had agreed.

As she sat in the library replaying this in her mind, she wasn't sure why she had agreed. She felt like this was just a way to get her heart broken. Troy was so nice to her. She knew that he genuinely cared for her, but she also knew that it was a platonic sort of care; and it wasn't wise for her to read more into it or hope for something more.

…

"Gabriella, you are the smartest girl in the school," Troy complimented between bites of pasta, "and that's not an opinion," he continued. "It's proven."

Gabriella smiled modestly, "Don't have any friends. Might as well focus my attention somewhere productive."

"I'm surprised you aren't a part of chemistry club, or scholastic decathlon, or Red Poet's Society," he said, referencing the club that got together on Thursdays to discuss literary works.

She shrugged nonchalantly, "No one wants to be associated with the school slut, which is ironic considering I've never even kissed anyone."

Troy looked up at her with surprise at this revelation. How had she gotten that reputation? "Brie," he began gently, but she brushed him off.

"It's fine, Troy. I only have six more months here. I've made it this far with a reputation and no friends. I can make it a little longer."

"It's a real shame, though," he began in earnest, "because you are so perfect, Gabriella; and no one has ever recognized that."

"I'm not perfect."

"You are to me."

…

"Son, I've gotta ask you something," Troy's father held the basketball they had been shooting steady under his arm as he approached his son.

Troy wiped the sweat from his brow, "What is it, Dad?"

The look of concentration on Jack's face made Troy curious. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, Troy," Jack began, "but are you being careful with Gabriella?"

"What do you mean?" The only time his dad had ever asked him this question was in relation to sex. There was no way his father thought that he and Gabriella were having sex.

"I mean, I've known you both your entire lives. She's always thought you hung the moon, Troy, but I see the way she looks at you now; and I just have to know: are you being careful?"

Troy stared at his father, still not entirely sure what he was asking, because it sure as hell couldn't be what he was implying. What did safety have to do with his relationship with Gabriella?

"Look, Troy," Jack motioned for Troy to follow him to sit down on the edge of the small basketball court. Troy obviously wasn't understanding, and Jack wanted to make sure he was providing clarity, "You two have been in each other's lives for a long time. It's natural that you would care about her and that she would care about you, but I want to make sure you're being careful in your relationship with her. Gabriella's young. You both are, but she's also _our_ Gabriella," Jack emphasized. "She's quiet and helpful. She's funny. She's a good girl all around. I know you love her and that you've missed her, but she's not just important to you, Troy. She's like the little girl your mother and I never had. We've watched her grow up her whole life, and I want to make sure she's always taken care of."

"Dad, you…you don't think that Gabriella and I are…are sleeping together, do you?" he trailed off, thinking about what Trent had said to him months ago – implying that he also thought Troy wanted to sleep with Gabriella.

"What? No! Of course not." Jack sighed. Clearly, he wasn't as tactful as he thought. "I know that you would never do anything to intentionally send the wrong message to Gabriella, but like I said son, I see the way she looks at you. You have got to be careful. You could end up inadvertently breaking her heart and damaging your working relationship with East High."

Troy only stared at his father – nodding, but not quite ready to formulate any of his own thoughts. His dad thought that Gabriella liked him.

"I don't know, Troy. Maybe try taking a few steps back. Right now, it seems like you're treating her like the little girl she was when you left, but she's eighteen now, and everything you do has a whole new meaning. Like, when you hug her, or kiss her forehead, or take her out for a special birthday dinner," Jack looked at his son pointedly. "She isn't looking at all those things through the lens of a little girl who's losing her playmate. She's looking at them through the eyes of a girl who's being showered with affection by a man she loves."

Troy felt like his stomach had morphed into a bottomless pit into which his heart was free-falling. What had he done?

…

There was a soft knock at his father's office door, and when he looked up to see who it was, he was greeted by the sight of Gabriella.

"Hi," she waved at him, but didn't walk in. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Troy stopped making notes on the papers in front of him and turned his attention to Gabriella. She sat down directly in the line of Troy's vision. She looked up at him, and as their eyes met, Troy couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she'd grown up to be.

"What do you need?" He finally asked, and he could tell that the tone of his voice was gruffer than intended because Gabriella winced.

"I just wanted to ask you something," her gaze fell from his eyes. She was looking at the things on the desk instead, "and I hope it doesn't sound crazy, or bother you, or whatever. I just need to know."

"Know what?"

"I need to know why you've stopped talking to me. Did I do something wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Troy asked, but she still wouldn't look at him.

"Just – what did I do, Troy? You've been so distant," her voice held the softness of resignation.

"I still talk to you, Gabriella," Troy defended, and she supposed it was true.

"Yeah, but it's not the same. You've stopped making jokes and inviting me to the treehouse. You even stopped looking at me. I mean, really looking at me. And it sounds crazy," her voice hitched with unshed tears, "but high school has been a lonely place for me until you came. It was like a dream come true when you came back. I never thought I would get to experience any part of high school with you, my favorite neighbor and friend. But then I did," she clarified, "I have gotten to experience high school with you, and it's been wonderful, because once you got here, it was like someone finally saw me. Someone really cared, and I didn't have to be anyone but myself with you, and I don't know," her words trailed off for a moment. "That probably sounds stupid. It was just…," she didn't finish her sentence, but Troy saw her wipe swiftly at her cheeks to remove the tears.

She took a few deep breaths, "I just need to know what I did. I've gone a really long time trying to figure out what it is about me that people don't like," she looked up at him then, her eyes piercing him, voice strong, "I don't know what I've done, Troy, but I hope you at least care about me enough to give me this one instance of clarity before I'm invisible to you too."

What had he done?

It wasn't until this very moment that Troy realized what he had done. After talking with his father, he had been so afraid of breaking Gabriella's heart that he had pulled away from her and done just what he had feared.

"I'm sorry," he said and came swiftly to her side. "I'm so, so sorry." He was kneeling next to her, but he used both his hands to cup her face and turn her so that their eyes met, "I promise that I didn't mean to make you feel like I didn't want to know you anymore. You are the most important person in my life." His blue eyes danced across her sad face, and the urge to kiss her hit him so fast and hard that he almost fell backwards. However, instead he pulled her down from her seat and wrapped his arms around her.

Kneeling with him in the floor, Gabriella clung to Troy. The feeling of being in his arms was one of the things she missed over the past couple of weeks, and the relief of finally being there caused all her emotions to finally release.

"Why did you leave me?" Gabriella finally whispered this question, and for a moment Troy wasn't sure if she meant now or four years ago.

"Because I was stupid. I didn't want to hurt you, and I thought that if I stayed I would do just that."

"How could you ever possibly hurt me?" Her own gentle fingers stroked his jaw, and he wanted to tell her that even allowing themselves such a small pleasure as fingers against skin could eventually ruin them both.

Instead, he ran his fingers through her hair – chancing their utter destruction, "It's hard to explain. I'll explain it one day, but for today, can I just tell you how much you mean to me, Gabriella?"

"Yes."


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

"Darling, why don't you wear the dress your Tia Ana got for you for your birthday?" Mrs. Montez suggested as Gabriella stood in the bathroom washing her face.

"I don't know. I just haven't thought about it."

"She called me last night and asked me if you liked it. She wanted me to send her a picture of you in it."

"I can wear it," Gabriella's words were hesitant and choppy.

"You don't have to," Mrs. Montez came closer to Gabriella and kissed her cheek, "it was just a suggestion. You can say no." Her voice was so sweet that it made Gabriella love her even more, but it also made her feel guilty.

"It's okay, Mama. It's not a big deal. I can wear it. I haven't picked anything else out anyway."

Mrs. Montez nodded, "Only if you want to, my Gabi."

"I want to," Gabriella assured even though it was a lie. She didn't like wearing dresses to school. They caused too much drama, too much attention.

…

"Once a slut always a slut," a girl whispered and giggled. Gabriella knew that she'd said it loud enough for the class to hear. Her face burned in both embarrassment and anger, and she hated herself for accidentally leaving her sweater in her locker, but more importantly, she hated that she was letting them get to her.

If Gabriella didn't attend East High School, if she was a student on a sunny university campus, she would have loved the dress from Tia Ana. It was white and ethereal, and made her wish that she was a fairy princess who only had to dance around a garden. As it was, however, she did attend East High School. Subsequently, she hated how she felt in her dress. She wasn't showing more skin than dress code policy appropriate. In fact, her dress was modest when compared to the girl's who had just called her a slut. That didn't matter, though. One incident freshman year had ruined any semblance of Gabriella's high school respect. The worst part was it wasn't even Gabriella's fault.

Only two more minutes, and the bell would ring. Then, she'd have free period and she could go get her sweater. Why hadn't she thought to pack a change of clothes?

"The worst part is how innocent she acts," another voice sneered.

"John said she let him…" Gabriella refused to hear the rest of the sentence. She blocked out their mean, untrue words. The bell rang, and she darted from her seat.

…

"Stop." Gabriella tried to keep her voice firm, but it came out strangled as she felt someone's hand on her thigh. She had made it to her locker for her sweater, but upon rounding the corner on her way to the library, she'd come face to face with three guys from the basketball team. Now she was pinned against the lockers, her legs forced apart and one of the player's legs between her thighs to keep them spread. The others were watching with twisted smirks on their cruel faces, random hands touching her in any place they could manage as the ringleader of the group breathed hot and harsh against her neck.

"What's the matter, princess?" He purred, running a hand down her side and grabbing a fist full of her white dress. "Who'd you wear this for? Walking around the halls like a naughty little angel. I've been hard for you all day." He told her lewdly as his friends laughed.

Gabriella did her best to shove at him, hoping her eyes didn't betray her fear. How was she supposed to get away from three of them?

"Don't be nervous." The way he cooed in her ear scared her almost as much as his wondering hands. "I know you've done it before. Everyone knows. You've got quite a reputation, and I, for one, cannot wait to have those beautiful lips wrapped around my dick."

…

Troy thought it was weird. Why were three students huddled around a locker? He couldn't see what they were doing. They were too far down the hall, but when he heard someone cry out, he knew what they were doing wasn't good. He took off at a brisk walk until he heard the strangled cry of terror, and then he ran.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He pushed them out of the way. "Get off of her!" The sound of his voice was almost as frightening as his face. He was beyond the point of yelling, beyond the point of whispering. It was much more. Much more threatening, deathly, low and guttural. His eyes raged as he shoved the teenagers away from Gabriella. There she was in a huddled mass against the lockers breathing heavily, her dress pushed up to her waist and the sleeves falling down her shoulders. Gently, Troy helped Gabriella to her feet. He helped her readjust her dress, tenderly bringing the sleeves up her arms. He took off his jacket and draped it around her, bringing her close once again. He then turned back to the boys standing nearby.

"Why _the hell _have I found you three sexually assaulting her?"

"Mr. Bolton," the ringleader began coolly, "we weren't doing anything serious. She does this all the time. Everyone knows it." And in that moment, Troy got a glimpse of the danger her unwarranted reputation brought upon her.

"Oh yeah?" Troy dared, "Is that why she's crying? Because everything everyone says is always true? I am warning you now," he growled viciously. In fact, Gabriella was surprised he could hold her so gently and still speak in such a way, "I am warning _all_ of you right now. I better never see anything like this again. It better never happen again! Are we clear?"

They all nodded solemnly.

"One more thing. You're all on the basketball team, right? Practice has been extended for an hour."

"You can't do that! You aren't the coach," one guy protested angrily.

"Oh really? Let's make it two more hours then. I'll see you there." His words were a vicious promise.

Once they were gone, Troy turned immediately to Gabriella, who had buried herself into his arms. All rage was gone from his face, replaced with the need to know that she was okay, that they hadn't hurt her any more than what he had witnessed.

"Brie?" he questioned, tears coming to his own eyes at how scared she looked.

She shook her head, knowing what he wanted to ask her. She wasn't okay, "Just hold me, Troy."

…

They sat in Mr. Bolton's office now, he was still holding her, and in the back of his mind he wondered if what he was doing – as a man four years older than her – was any better than what those students had been doing. But in the forefront of his mind, he just wanted to make sure a person he loved was okay.

"We can report this, Brie," he said, words fanning out against her face, "We can go to the principal right now, or we can file it with the police department. Whatever you want."

"I want to forget about it. I want to go home. I want my mom."

"I'll take you home now," his words held all the promises in the world.

"It's eleven forty-five. You have to work on your research study after lunch."

"Then let me call your mom for you."

"And say what?"

"That you need her. She'll come running. You know she will."

"She will," Gabriella smiled, "but I don't want to worry her. I can drive myself home."

"She should be worried. Her daughter was sexually assaulted."

"Don't say that," she closed her eyes and pressed herself more firmly against his chest, "I can't hear it right now. I just want to hear your heart beating."

"Okay," he acquiesced for the time being, because he would do anything for Gabriella.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Troy sat in his childhood bedroom reading through articles for his literature review. He needed to move out already. He was twenty-two. Why was he still living at home? _Lots of reasons,_ his mind reminded. The most important of which was that it was way free, and he was paying back school loans. Besides that, he kind of liked being with his family again. He had lived away from them for years. He had also missed his neighbors.

The Montezes were like his second family; and he really hadn't realized how much he had missed them until he was back with them. Of course, he had always known he missed Gabriella. His first couple years of college, he'd thought about her often and imagined how her life was changing as she aged. He would receive emails from her occasionally, detailing her new hobbies, her family, and other miscellaneous occasions. But he genuinely had missed Elena and Antonio as well.

His thoughts were interrupted by his mother peeking her head in the door, "Gabriella is going to sleep over in the guest room tonight," at the mention of her name, his stomach dropped. It had been three days, and they still had not discussed what happened in the hallway.

"Will you make sure there are clean towels in the bathroom for her?" Lucille asked. "I'm going to go make the bed for her."

"Sure," Troy agreed easily. "Why is she sleeping over?"

"Her parents have a benefit dinner in Santa Fe, but it doesn't end until midnight, so they are going to stay the night and drive home in the morning. None of us like her staying alone in that big house."

Troy nodded, "I'll just finish this article then get her towels."

…

"Hey," Troy smiled softly at Gabriella and she looked up from her book. She was sprawled in the hammock in her backyard, "Your mom said that she and your dad will be out to kiss you goodbye in a few minutes; and _my mom _said she expects to see you at dinner at six-thirty since your parents are going to that benefit tonight." He made his way over so that he could sit beside her. The hammock swung and tilted with the added weight.

"Thanks," she returned his smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

Gabriella didn't seem to hear him, "I'll tell my parents goodbye and we can walk over to your house together." She reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, and her arm rubbed against Troy's. She thought about his arms around her three days ago – about how his touch didn't make her skin crawl. It never did. It was comforting to know that she wasn't too damaged. That she could at least feel safe with one guy.

"Gabriella, love," her mother's voice broke her from her reverie. "Daddy and I are leaving now."

Gabriella stood and went to her mother's awaiting arms. Her father appeared next to her mother only seconds later, and they both kissed Gabriella's forehead before telling her goodbye.

"We should be home around nine-thirty or ten tomorrow morning," Mr. Montez told his daughter before turning his attention to Troy, "Take good care of her," he beamed. "We feel much better knowing that our little Gabriella has the Boltons right next door when we aren't home."

"Which is too often," Mrs. Montez chided her husband. "We should be with Gabriella more, especially as she gets ready for college. We have so little time left," her eyes started to fill with tears.

"Mama, please don't start crying…again. You have plenty of time with me."

Mrs. Montez responded by patting Gabriella's cheek gently, "I know, but you're my only baby. Can't fault a mother for being a little bit emotional."

"Go, or you'll be late," Gabriella encouraged, hugging her mother once more.

Her parents kissed her again before leaving. Then, she was alone with Troy.

She turned around to see him still lounging on the hammock, but his face was serious. She knew what was about to happen.

Troy stood up and walked over to her. He took her hand in his and led her back to the hammock. Once they both settled in, he asked her the inevitable question, "Can we talk about what happened?"

Gabriella shrugged.

"I think we should report them."

"I don't want to do that, Troy," she sighed.

"Why not? Brie, they were assaulting you," He tilted her chin so that she was looking up into his anguished blue eyes, and the concern she saw, the heartbreak she saw, was the reason she decided to be truthful.

"Because reporting them won't do any good," she didn't want to tell him. She didn't want Troy to know. She wanted to keep it hidden forever and ever and move on with her life.

"Why do you think that?"

"I reported the first one, and nothing changed. If anything, it got worse," her eyes started watering and she felt so foolish for crying. She didn't want to cry. "I told my parents, and we told the principal, and we even went to the police, but they kept asking me questions like _What were you doing, Did you say anything that made him think you wanted him to touch you, _and on and on. It was horrible. I felt so worthless; and do you know what the guy said," she looked directly into Troy's eyes, "He said he thought I liked him because I asked him to be my lab partner and because I always smiled at him in the hallway." Gabriella wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"That's horrible, Gabriella," Troy brought her into his embrace.

"That isn't even the worst part. I only asked him to be my lab partner, because we were both the only people who weren't already paired. And I only smiled at him because he would wave at me. I thought I was just being polite. It was so awful, Troy. My parents were heartbroken, because we couldn't do anything. The police officers said that because he _just touched_ me," she emphasized the words, "that there was no evidence. They couldn't prove that he had pushed me into a corner and stuck his hand in my pants. It was his word against mine. And the asshole that did it said that he thought I was joking around when I told him to stop. He said he thought I liked it."

She clutched at Troy's hand as she continued, "I started crying so hard when he said that, Troy. I didn't even know what to do. It was a nightmare. I couldn't see or speak, or anything when he said that. My parents just took me home. But the worst part is the guy told everyone at school that I was easy. That I looked innocent and sweet, but that I really liked it dirty." Her body shuddered as she admitted all of this to Troy. "So then girls started calling me a slut, and boys started grabbing my ass, and the people who were supposed to help me and believe me were useless. Not my parents of course," she clarified, "they were wonderful, but the principal and the police officers were terrible. Our school counselor wasn't any better."

"Brie," Troy breathed out her name like someone had punched him in the stomach.

"There's more, Troy," Gabriella admitted quietly. "But I'm not ready to tell you yet."

Troy nodded. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell her it was his fault. That he should have been here the whole time. That he should have stayed in Albuquerque for university and he would have been able to beat the shit out of anyone who ever hurt her. But he didn't say that, because this wasn't about him. It was about her.

…

"Gabriella, we know you miss your parents when they are gone," Mrs. Bolton began sympathetically and reached across the table to hold Gabriella's hand, "but please know that we love having you over. I know we say this all the time, but it's like having a daughter when you are here."

Gabriella smiled graciously, "I do miss them, but I like coming over too. If feels like my second home here."

"It is your second home," Mr. Bolton assured before joking, "you are a much more gracious presence than Trent. Unfortunately, he'll be staying over tonight too." He laughed.

Mrs. Bolton rolled her eyes, "That's not funny," she turned her attention to her youngest son, "you know he's teasing. We love when you come home."

"You're staying the night?" Troy asked, not used to having his little brother home nowadays, "why?"

"Pipes busted at the frat house," Trent explained around a mouthful of food. "Water won't be back on until Monday at the earliest, so you're stuck with me all weekend, Big Bro," Trent grinned.

"Well, I love having a full house," Mrs. Bolton beamed. "Makes me feel like when you were all kids."

Troy smiled and turned his head to share in the humor with Gabriella who was seated next to him, but when he looked at her, she wasn't smiling. She was staring at her plate, pushing different foods around, obviously lost in thought.

Troy placed his hand on her knee to get her attention discretely, "You okay?" he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear.

"Fine," she nodded. "just a little tired already."

…

Troy wasn't sure what had awoken him at three in the morning, but he decided to go downstairs for a glass of water. He traveled down the stairs and around the corner as quietly as possible. He didn't want to wake anyone. Only, he was surprised to find that he wasn't the only one awake in the early hours of morning.

"Gabriella?" he asked. She was sitting in the dimly lit window seat of their alcove, a book in hand. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing," her brown eyes seemed especially dark and rich in the dim light.

Troy sat down beside her, "Couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head, "I thought I would just do a little reading," she held up her book as proof.

"You look tired," he ran his thumb lightly beneath her eye before caressing her cheek.

"I'm okay," Gabriella told him. "I'll go to bed soon."

He was concerned about her, "You should go now. Let me walk you to your room?"

Gabriella shook her head again, "I'm not ready to go yet, Troy. I'm really okay."

"Gabriella, I insist," Troy took her hand in his. He brought it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, "It's so late and you look so tired." When he looked back up at her, her mouth was quivering, and her eyes were large with emotion.

"Please don't make me go."

Troy was taken aback by her response and immediately apologized, "Hey," his voice softened, "I'm sorry. I would never make you do anything. You can go when you're ready. I didn't mean to upset you, Brie," he told her sincerely before adding, "I'm going to go and let you finish your book. I shouldn't have interrupted you," he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and he pressed a kiss to her cheek, "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Gabriella nodded, and Troy stood to make his way just as quietly back up to bed, forgetting the glass of water he had initially wanted. As he reached the top of the stairs, he noticed movement. He watched silently as Trent opened the door to the guest bedroom and went inside, closing the door behind him. Troy's eyes widened and horrifying realization hit him. He turned immediately to head back down the stairs to Gabriella.

"Brie," he whispered. She was trembling. He brought her into his arms without hesitation, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you to go to bed," he held her so that he could look into her eyes. "What I should have done was ask if you were okay."

She clung to him but didn't speak.

"Gabriella, I care about you, and when I saw you sitting here with dark circles under your eyes, I just wanted to take care of you. But I shouldn't assume I know what you need. _You_ know what you need. I promise I'll be better, and I will listen to you."

"Thank you," the two words were quiet but welcome in the glow of their conversation.

"Are you okay?"

"I am tired, but I don't want to go sleep in the guest room."

"Do you want to come sleep in my room? With me? You take the bed and I will take the pull out?"

"Yes," the simple response was breathed with a heavy sigh of relief.

Troy didn't let go of her as he guided her up the stairs and into his room.

"Will you lock the door?" Gabriella asked.

For clarity, Troy asked her, "Do you want me to lock it?"

"I do."

He locked it and continued to guide Gabriella to his bed, albeit unnecessarily. Once she was snuggled beneath the blankets, he moved to the love seat in the corner of his room. As he removed the cushions and unfolded the mattress from within, he was never more thankful for Chad Danforth and all the times he stayed the night while they were growing up. It was what had prompted him to buy the small pull out for his room in the first place.

He looked over his shoulder at Gabriella, and she looked so small. She was looking at him too.

"Troy," her unsteady voice pained him, "I want you to lay in the bed with me. Will you?"

"Anything you want," he abandoned his efforts to smooth out the sheets on the pull out in favor of going to Gabriella.

Gabriella immediately snuggled up to him as he crawled beneath the blankets with her, "You're the only person who feels safe."

"I love you, Gabriella," Troy let the words hang in the air, their meaning not entirely clear to him even as he spoke them.

"I love you too."


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

"Good morning, Gabriella. Gabriella?" Mrs. Bolton's voice next door was enough to jar both Troy and Gabriella immediately awake. They were tangled in one another, limbs linked and hair disheveled.

Troy pressed a quick kiss to Gabriella's forehead before stealthily unlocking his bedroom door and throwing himself onto the pull out, feigning sleep.

Mrs. Bolton's voice could be heard again, "Trent, have you seen Gabriella?"

"She's probably fucking Troy."

"That's enough," she warned.

"What? You're the one that let them sleep under the same roof. If Troy had half a brain, he would see how obsessed that little cock tease is with him. Always has been."

Gabriella winced at the words, hating that Troy had undoubtedly heard them too.

"I said that's enough," Mrs. Bolton's voice was harsh and final, "I don't want to hear you speak about Troy or Gabriella that way again. Am I clear?"

"Yes," Trent sighed.

"Honestly, Trent, I don't know what's gotten into you. What makes you think you can talk about them like that?" and seconds later Gabriella heard Troy's bedroom door open. Her back was to the door as she also pretended to sleep.

"Told you so," Trent said casually, and Gabriella could hear him descending the stairs.

"Gabriella," Mrs. Bolton called, but Gabriella ignored her, not wanting to give away her pretense of sleep. "Gabriella, honey," she tried again, this time walking into the room and placing a hand on Gabriella's shoulder.

If Gabriella had not been expecting it, she would have startled suspiciously. Instead, she let out a soft mewl and rolled over slowly, letting her eyes flutter open.

"Hey, honey," Mrs. Bolton's voice was quiet, "what are you doing in Troy's bed?"

"Huh?" Gabriella kept up the charade of just waking from slumber for a moment longer. "Oh. I had a bad dream. He said I could sleep in here."

Lucille nodded and glanced over at a still sleeping Troy, but Gabriella wasn't sure she believed her, "I guess it was strange being in the guest room after all these years of just sleeping in his bed," she gave Gabriella a small smile, and continued speaking, "I just wanted to wake you because it's nine-thirty and your parents are on their way home."

"Okay," Gabriella said as she got out of bed, "I'll go get dressed."

…

_Meet me in the treehouse?_

The text from Troy made her heart flutter, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was excited to see him, or if she was afraid of what he wanted to ask her.

_Okay_

Troy was already there when Gabriella arrived. The sun was setting, and the temperature was dropping. Wordlessly, he draped a blanket around her shoulders.

They sat quietly in each other's arms for half an hour before Troy finally got up the nerve to asked, "When you said you weren't ready to tell me more, you meant about Trent didn't you?"

Gabriella nodded against his chest, "He's not like you, Troy," she explained quietly. "I think he hates me, and he is such a fucking asshole about it. He won't just leave me alone."

"What did he do to you? I saw him going into the guest room. That's why you didn't want to go to bed."

"The guy from lab was awful," Gabriella began solemnly, "but Trent is the reason they think they can treat me the way they do. He was still a student at East High when everything happened, and he told everyone that what that guy said about me was true. That I was easy, and he knew this because I let him sneak into my room all the time," Gabriella's grip tightened as she tried to continue. "He didn't even try to hide that it was him. Whenever he would see me in the hall, he would tell whoever would listen that it was the quiet ones you had to watch out for; and he would grab me just for the fun of it."

"Why?" Troy felt like someone had knocked the breath out of him.

"I don't know," she looked up at him with the saddest expression he had ever seen. "I even asked him. He saw how devastated and broken I was after the police couldn't help. I stayed in my room for a week. I missed school. He knew all this, and he still did it. When I asked him why, he just rolled his eyes. He told me not to act so innocent – that it may have worked on you, but it wouldn't work on him," Gabriella shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of the memory, "I told him to stop. I promise, Troy. I told him to leave me alone and stop. Please believe me."

"Of course, I believe you, Gabriella," Troy pressed his forehead to hers. "Of course, I believe you."

"The first time he came in the room while I was sleeping, he tried to hold me down, but he knocked a glass off the bedside table, and it woke your mom," Gabriella recounted quietly. "He left just before she came to check on me. So then I started locking the door whenever I had to stay the night and he was here, but they're easy enough to pick."

"Did he ever…" Troy let the question hang in the air, unsure of how to truly ask Gabriella what he wanted to ask. It wasn't his business if she didn't want to tell him, but he wanted to know so that he could have some approximation of how severely he should beat Trent.

She shook her head, "Not for lack of trying, though. I started sneaking back to my house once he started picking the lock to your bedroom door, because being all alone in my house felt safer than being here with him; and I would just sneak back early in the morning so your parents wouldn't know. But last night I was so tired. I didn't think I would wake up to sneak back if I went home, and I didn't want to worry anyone."

She felt Troy's grip tighten protectively, "I'm going to kill him," his words seethed.

"Don't," Gabriella looked up with wide eyes, "you're the only person I've told. I can't tell anyone else. They would be devasted and never believe me."

"What do you mean? Gabriella, what he did is wrong."

"But he's your brother, your parents' son. I can't do that to your family."

"Oh god. Gabriella," his voice was full of anguish as he held her, "don't worry about them. He deserves more than a beating for hurting you."

"Your parents will never believe me, and it will tear our families apart."

"Yes, they will," Troy sounded so sure. "They love you."

"But he's their son."

"I'm their son," Troy reminded. "They can believe you, or they will lose me."

…

Troy stormed into his house. His parents and brother were in the kitchen talking about something Troy didn't care to hear. Before anyone could even greet him, his fist made contact with Trent's face. It was a deafening crack that was only rivaled by Mrs. Bolton's blood curdling cry. Trent stumbled backwards and almost fell to the ground.

Troy ignored his parent's commotion as they tried to figure out what was going on. Troy reached out and punched him again, "Stay the fuck away from Gabriella."

"What," Trent laughed through his obvious pain, "disappointed that you weren't the first guy to touch her?"

Troy punched him in the gut this time, "I can't even look at you. You're not my brother."

Trent took time to regain his breath, but he was just as angry as Troy now, "You're going to choose some slut over your own brother?"

Troy lunged forward, knocking miscellaneous items of the kitchen counters as he swung at Trent once more, missing only because Trent anticipated the attack.

"Troy, what the hell is going on?" His father's booming voice finally broke through his rage, grabbing his oldest son and holding him back.

"Your piece of shit son told everyone at school that Gabriella is easy when he knows damn well it's not true; and she wasn't sleeping in my room last night because she had a nightmare. She was sleeping in there because god knows how long he's been sneaking into the room and assaulting her," Troy couldn't hold back his emotions any long. His rage and loud voice morphed into a sob, "I found her downstairs trembling because she was afraid to go to sleep. How could you do that to her?" He wanted to punch Trent again, but his father caught him. Troy let Jack hold him for a moment before he pulled away, "And he doesn't even care," he glared at his younger brother through tear glazed eyes. "You don't even care about what you've done to her, how you've made her life at school miserable."

"Why do you even care about her?" Trent all but roared. "She's worth more to you than me? You know what people say about her, about the guys she's been with!"

"You started those rumors," Troy pointed at his brother accusingly, "and I don't give a damn who she has or hasn't been with. That's not my business. I care that you hurt her, and that other people have hurt her because of what you did." Troy turned and stormed through his house angrily. He slammed the front door closed, the reverberation causing a vase in the entryway to tumble and shatter on the ground.

He tramped through the grass connecting the two yards and rang Gabriella's doorbell.

Mrs. Montez opened the door, beaming happily at Troy until she saw the way he was cradling his swollen fist and the slowly dissipating fury in his eyes.

"Troy, what happened?" she ushered him into the house. "Gabi," she called. "Bring me some peroxide and towels to the kitchen please."

The commotion brough Antonio and Gabriella both to the kitchen within only minutes. Gabriella gasped at seeing Troy's bloody and bruised knuckles.

"It's my fault," she cried out.

"No, it's not," Troy told her firmly before looking at her parents to reiterate, "it's not her fault."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Montez asked. "Gabi, Troy, what's going on here?"

"Troy punched Trent," Gabriella's deadpan voice explained.

As Elena tended Troy's injuries, she asked, "Why on Earth would you do that?"

Gabriella and Troy shared a look.

"Because," Gabriella's eyes filled with tears and her lower lip quivered, "because I told Troy what Trent did to me."

"What did he do to you?" Both Elena and Antonio waited worriedly on bated breath for Gabriella to explain, but as tears rolled silently down her cheeks and she was unable to form words, Troy spoke.

"He tried to sneak into her room last night, and he's done it before. After Gabriella tried to press charges against that guy a few of years ago, Trent told everyone she was lying and that he knew it because she let him into her room all the time."

Mrs. Montez was crying just as much as Gabriella as she brought her daughter into her embrace, "Mi hija, why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't want to ruin your friendship. What could we do anyway?"

"Friendship?" Mr. Montez questioned. "No friendship is more important than you, Gabriella. You are the _most_ important."

…

"How are you feeling?" Troy sat in Gabriella's bedroom with her.

"A little relieved, I guess," she shrugged. "I'm glad they know."

"Me too."

"What do you think your parents will think?"

"They'll believe you, Gabriella. I promise."

She nodded, and after a few seconds she spoke, "I was thinking, I want to press charges against the guys on the basketball team. You'll be a witness, right?"

"Without a doubt, Gabriella. I'll support you however I can."

She reached over to hold Troy's hand, "It's so painful, Troy. I can't go through it again without knowing you'll be there."

Troy brought her hand to his mouth. He kissed her fingers a couple of times before speaking, "I will be with you every step of the way. Whatever you need, Gabriella."

"Thank you," she sighed in relief and leaned against him. "I want to do something else too."

"What do you want to do?"

"Do you know anyone at U of A's Center for Health Education and Wellness? They have an entire consent campaign. I want to see if someone will come do a series of classes at East High."

"Gabriella, that's brilliant."

"I can't be the only person at school who's ever been touched without permission," she shrugged.

"Gabriella," Troy began earnestly, "I hope you know how brave and strong you are. I want to help and support you in whatever ways I can, because you're amazing, and I can only imagine how hard all this is for you, yet you're still thinking about other people and how you can help them. I've never met anyone even a little like you."

"I hope that's a good thing," she blushed prettily and refused to meet his gaze.

"Good for me," Troy assured. "Sad for the rest of the world. How could someone go their whole life without knowing someone as amazing as you, Gabriella?"


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

"Gabriella, that was amazing!" Troy beamed. He brought her into his arms and spun her around. She had just finished speaking with Principal Matsui about consent classes delivered through the University of Albuquerque's Center for Health Education and Wellness. Troy had accompanied her only as moral support and to discuss the Internal Review Board process if Matsui wanted to collect and distribute data based on pre- and post-assessments of the classes.

Gabriella kept her arms around Troy's neck as he continued to hold her and smile brightly at her, "You were amazing, Brie. He loved everything you had to say."

"I couldn't have done it without you," she was being modest. "Principal Matsui loves any opportunity to collect data. He thinks it will get us in the newspaper," she laughed. "Your comments about how he could do that put the whole thing over the top. He couldn't say no. I'm bummed that we probably can't start the classes until August, but now we can really take our time and make them applicable to a high school audience."

"I know," Troy sympathized. He knew how much Gabriella wanted to start the classes as soon as possible, but with the IRB wait time, and having to get all the material approved, and having to get consent forms from students and parents, it would be impossible to start them before the end of the semester.

"But like you said," Troy added, "now we can really do the classes justice. Plus, you get to have your name on a research project before you even start university. That's pretty cool!"

"This is going to be great!" Gabriella nodded in agreement, her face shining just as brightly with joy.

It was short lived, however, as the biting words of a passerby made their way into her consciousness, "What happened? Run out of guys your own age to screw?"

"Excuse me," Troy nearly growled at the girl passing. She was taken aback, because no one had ever questioned comments made about Gabriella's reputation.

"Troy, just leave it. It doesn't matter anymore. This is the type of ignorance we are working to stop, remember?"

Troy acquiesced, but not before commenting pointedly, "Your school is full of jerks."

…

"Knock, knock," Mrs. Montez peered into Gabriella's room before entering.

Gabriella rolled her eyes in good humor, "Come in, Mama."

Mrs. Montez made her way over to Gabriella who had papers spread out across her bed, "What are you working on?"

"It's for the consent classes. Troy brought me the IRB paperwork to take a look at before he submits it."

"You and Troy have been spending lots of time with each other these past few weeks," Gabriella didn't notice the hesitance in her mother's words.

"Yeah," she agreed still shuffling through the papers. "We've got a lot to do."

Mrs. Montez sat down beside Gabriella and gently took the papers from her hands, effectively gaining Gabriella's attention, "He's always been special to you. And I know you are special to him. He was always so protective of you when you were a little girl," Elena Montez smiled softly as she remembered. "You know, he got into many an argument with his brother and friends when they didn't want you to tag along. No matter how old he got, he would always say _Gabriella's a part of our group too_. And he would never leave you behind."

Gabriella blushed, not remembering these things herself, "I didn't know that."

"Oh yeah. He was always very proud to have you as his friend and neighbor. I remember when you were still a baby – no more than six months old – we were visiting next door and Lucille was trying to help him choose something to take for show-and-tell the next day at preschool. She was explaining to him that it should be something special, something he was proud of and wanted to show his whole class. I didn't really think he was paying much attention until he said he wanted to take _you _for show-and-tell," Elena laughed at the surprise on her daughter's face before continuing, "oh he went into this long discussion of how happy he was that you lived next door, and how you were the best baby, and how no one would ever be able to bring anything as good for show-and-tell. So, I took you!"

They both laughed and Mrs. Montez noticed the sparkle in her daughter's eyes – something she hadn't seen for a long time.

"You love him, huh?" she asked softly as she patted Gabriella's knee.

Gabriella's only response was a head nod and the deepening shade of red that overtook her face. She couldn't deny it.

"How did you know?" Gabriella asked her mother.

"I can see it in your eyes," she didn't tell Gabriella that she could see it in Troy's eyes too. "He's always been so good to you, and I know you missed him a lot while he was gone. But Gabriella," her mother cautioned, "Troy is four years older than you. You're at different stages in your lives, and he may want more from a relationship than you're ready to give. You'll be off at Stanford soon, and he will be here finishing up his master's degree. I don't want to see you hurt, mi hija. I know you've suffered more of that than anyone should ever have to."

Gabrielle leaned against Mrs. Montez. She had always enjoyed the comfort her mother provided, even as she grew into a teenager and now a young woman.

"Te quiero con todo mi alma, mi Gabi," her mother pressed a kiss to Gabriella's hair as she told her how much she loved her.

They sat quietly for a minute before Gabriella confessed, "I've loved Troy since I was twelve," Gabriella looked up at her mother. "Sometimes I feel like he might love me too, but other times I feel really silly."

Elena didn't speak immediately, but she rubbed Gabriella's arm comfortingly.

"I think he loves you too," she finally told Gabriella.

…

_I think he loves you too_.

Gabriella was never one to act boldly or go into a situation without considering every possible outcome, but her mother's words had encouraged her. Maybe Troy did love her too. Maybe he could fall for the girl next door. After all, she had certainly fallen for the boy next door. Those feelings had led her to her current location. She was sitting in Troy's treehouse, waiting for him to arrive. She wanted to surprise him with a picnic this time. She had spread out a blanket and decorated it with foods, plates, flowers, and candles – much more romantic than their typical picnics. She had texted him ten minutes ago to meet her there, and he had responded that he was on his way. Gabriella didn't know why she was so nervous. She and Troy had spent so much time together that this was hardly anything special. But it felt special. It felt like a defining moment. She wanted to know if Troy loved her back. She had even dressed up for the occasion. Nothing too fancy, but she had loosely French- braided her hair – letting a few curls frame her face – and she wore a blue dress that matched Troy's eyes.

Her heart started racing as she heard Troy ascending the ladder.

"Brie," he called out before his eyes landed on her. When he saw her, his face immediately softened at the sight. She was bathed in the glow of the setting sun and candles.

"Wow," he made his way over to her, a smile painting his features. "You look beautiful. What's all this?"

"Well, you've surprised me with treehouse picnics, so I thought I should return the favor."

Gabriella watched Troy deflate, "Oh Brie, I wish I had known. This is so great, and I want nothing more than to stay here with you, but I told Sharpay," he referenced the theatre department's assistant teacher, "that I would meet her for dinner. I'm supposed to be there in thirty minutes."

"Oh," Gabriella said, concealing her disappointment. "I didn't know you were friends with her."

"Yeah," Troy scratched the back of his neck before elaborating, "she and I graduated East High together. She's been asking me for months to have dinner with her so we can catch up, but I've been so busy with research that we never set a time. I ran into her in the hallway today and she asked me to have dinner with her tonight."

"Well, that's okay. We can try again some other time," Gabriella was determined to put on a brave face. She turned from him and knelt down so she could start blowing out candles.

"I really am sorry," Troy took a moment to study her as she stood back up. "I wish I could stay. Everything looks beautiful. You look beautiful. How about breakfast tomorrow?"

Gabriella dipped her head in a slight nod, not trusting her voice immediately. After a few seconds she looked up, "Sure."

"Okay," Troy came closer to place a kiss on her cheek. "Tomorrow morning!" And he turned to leave.

Once Gabriella was sure he was out of earshot, she slid to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. She didn't want to feel disappointed or hurt, but how could she not? He had a date with someone else.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Troy wasn't sure why he agreed to meet Sharpay for dinner. Even though they had gone to school together, they hardly knew one another. And as he sat listening to her talk about musicals, and costumes, and country club dinners, he wished even more he had stayed with Gabriella to enjoy the picnic dinner she had planned. He was still mentally berating himself for disappointing her. He had seen it in her eyes, but he didn't know what to do. He hoped that he could make it up to her with breakfast.

Troy didn't realize that he was lost in thoughts of Gabriella until Sharpay's sharp voice brought him back to the present.

"Troy, are you listening? I asked you how it's possible you're still single."

Troy chuckled awkwardly, "Uh. I don't know. Guess I just haven't found anyone my type yet."

At this, Sharpay's gaze hardened for a split second before she looked down at her plate, "That's interesting. And what is your type, Troy? Younger woman? Latina? Little bit nerdy, little bit quiet?" she wasn't subtle in her questioning, and her eyes sparkled with a mischievous cruelty.

"What?" he asked, confused about what she was getting at.

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "You don't need to play dumb with me," she was close enough that she could reach out and grab at the tie he was wearing. She gave it a light tug. "Maybe no one else will say anything, but I've seen the way you look at her. The way she glows under your gaze. For God's sake," Sharpay sounded as dramatic as she looked. She let go of his tie so that she could gesture emphatically with her hands, "she's practically your student, Troy. What do you do? Fuck her during free period and when her parents aren't home?"

"That's enough," Troy hissed, not wanting the entire restaurant to overhear their discussion, "You don't know anything about me or Gabriella, and she has nothing to do with whatever this is," he motioned to the space between them. "Leave her out of whatever you're getting at."

"Don't give me that," Sharpay crossed her arms over her chest defensively, "There's a hell of a lot more going on than you're willing to say. I've seen you in the hallway with her. You practically fondle her every chance you get. Frankly, it's appalling. You're both practically dripping for one another," a nasty sneer encompassed her face, "I'm surprised she's kept her panties on this long. Or has she?"

Troy couldn't believe that a staff member was speaking about a student this way.

"Listen to me," Troy stared straight into Sharpay's angry eyes. "I don't know what this weird, jealous game is that you're playing at, but I'm not going to sit here and let you speak about a student like this," he clenched his fist. "I'm done listening to people talk about Gabriella like she's an object and not a person." He stood up and opened his wallet. He threw a couple of bills on the table before storming out.

…

"Troy," Gabriella looked over at him shyly. She was clutching a pillow to her chest from her spot on the bed. He was sat at her desk, working on data analysis for his nutrition study. He had come over an hour ago at the behest of her parents – who were out seeing a movie but feeling especially concerned about Gabriella these days.

Gabriella had been relatively quiet the whole time because of the work Troy needed to do, but she couldn't take it anymore.

"Yeah?" Troy turned in his chair to look at her.

"I never asked you how dinner with Miss Evans went?" He had gone out to eat with her four days ago, and Gabriella had been too scared to ask if he had a good time.

"It was okay," he brushed the question off, not really wanting to get into it.

She offered a slight smile, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Did you tell her anything about me?" a strange look came across Troy's face when Gabriella asked him this, making her blush before continuing, "I only ask because she kept me after class today. She asked me if you ever acted inappropriately with me." She looked up at him with her shy brown eyes when he didn't respond.

"I told her no, of course," Gabriella assured, "but she made comments about your date. About how you are handsome, and how you were coming on to her, and she said that she has seen us in the hallway, so she wanted to make sure you weren't making me uncomfortable."

Gabriella quit rambling and chanced a glance in Troy's direction once more. He looked distressed. He blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Brie, I don't even know what to say."

"It's okay," she vacated her spot on her bed and went to him. She placed her hand timidly on his shoulder, "You've been the only person who has not tried to hurt me or touch me, which makes it even more ironic that Miss Evans would ask me. No one has cared before," Gabriella began to ramble again, "But anyway, you've checked on me and protected me more than anyone ever has. I know how much you care about me, Troy."

He reached up and squeezed her hand that lay on his shoulder.

"I told Miss Evans that you would never do anything to hurt me or make me feel uncomfortable, that you've never been anything but kind."

"I know you did," Troy said, but then why did he look so distressed? "What bothers me is what Sharpay said to you. Our dinner wasn't a date, Gabriella. In fact, it didn't go well at all. I don't even know why I agreed to go with her. While we were there, she started accusing me of sleeping with you. It was disgusting."

That's why he didn't love her back. He thought she was disgusting. She flinched at his words, jerking her hand from beneath his and off his shoulder. Despite her brain warning her against it, she asked, "The thought of sleeping with me is disgusting? Is it because of what they did to me?" A silent tear slid down her cheek. "Am I disgusting because of that?" She wrapped her arms around herself and looked away from Troy. This had been one of her deepest fears before she told him about what happened with Trent or the other guy. She feared that he would see her differently, that he wouldn't look at her the same way. That he would think it was her fault.

"Oh God, Gabriella, no! That's not what I meant at all." He stood from his chair and eradicated the little space that was between them. He cradled her face in the palms of his hands so that he could look directly into her eyes. The pain he saw there almost killed him, "Please listen to me, Brie. Please know that what those people, and what my brother, did to you was not, and never will be, your fault. You know that, right?"

She nodded, "I just want you to know it too."

"I know it," he assured. "Gabriella, you mean the world to me." He was looking directly into her watery brown eyes. She was crying now. He wiped the tears that fell from her eyes before continuing. "What disgusts me is the fact that Sharpay would accuse me of hurting you, and then lie to you. She's up to something; and whatever it is could seriously hurt you. I don't want you hurt," he licked his lips before continuing, "I love you so much. So much." He emphasized.

"You do?" she was shaking slightly, but all she wanted was to be in his arms. She closed her eyes briefly and breathed slowly.

"Of course I love you," Troy smiled and removed his hands from her face. "I've loved you from the moment I held you in my arms as a squishy baby with the same mass of curly hair you have now."

Gabriella let out a breathy laugh, "I love you too." Her voice became serious and she looked away, "I love everything about you, Troy. Maybe Miss Evans said all those things because of me."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Maybe she can see it. Maybe she knows that I don't just love you, but that I'm _in _love with you." Gabriella's face burned with embarrassment.

"You're what?"

"I'm too terrified to say it again, Troy. I don't want to say it and lose you."

"You're in love with me?"

She thought he was making fun of her, so she sobbed. Her voice was bitter with hurt, "I already know it's ridiculous. You don't have to make fun of me for it."

"Hey, hey," his voice was gentle, "I'm not making fun of you. I'm just trying to understand."

"Well, I can't explain it any more clearly," she mumbled.

"Oh, Gabriella," he brought her into his arms, equally as terrified about what was happening. He looked down at her. When she was six, he remembered very consciously observing her appearance. He had never really paid attention to the way she looked before. She was just Gabriella. He knew what she looked like, but he had never really thought about it. It wasn't until he overheard his mother commenting on how pretty the little girl was that Troy decided to really look at her. At ten years old, he wasn't sure what constituted a pretty girl. But he had noticed her inquisitive brown eyes and a spray of summer freckles across her nose.

Now, those were the exact things he found to be beautiful about her. If he looked closely, he could still see a couple of stray freckles dotting the bridge of her nose. She had the same inquisitive eyes. But he also noticed the gentle curve of her neck, the rosiness of her cheeks, and the fullness of her lips. He noticed the way she fit so well in his arms, but most of all he noticed the way she made him feel; and in that moment, Troy realized how in love with Gabriella he truly was.

"I'm in love with you too." She looked up sharply, but he continued. "I don't even know how it happened, but you are certainly a hard one not to fall in love with, Gabriella."

Both their hearts were beating fast.

"I've wanted to kiss you so many times these past months."

Gabriella smiled, "I've wanted you to kiss me since I was twelve years old."

With that, the inches became centimeters until their lips were touching.

Gabriella's lack of experience did not go unnoticed by Troy. Her kiss was hesitant. Her cheeks warm and pink. Troy pulled away slowly, grinning at her, "You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen."

She didn't respond verbally. Instead, she acknowledged him with another kiss. A kiss that lingered. When she pulled away Troy grabbed her hands, lacing their fingers. She snuggled into him, "You're my first kiss."


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

The next day, Gabriella walked into her kitchen and was greeted by the sight of her mother making breakfast.

"Hey, honey," her mom smiled from her place at the stove. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up."

"I smelled food," Gabriella smiled, going to greet her mother.

Elena stopped what she was doing for a moment to hug and kiss Gabriella. Then, she smiled at her adoringly, "I'm so glad my big, grown-up daughter will still let her mama hug and kiss her. You know you will always be a baby in my eyes."

Gabriella looked at her mother fondly as she went back to scrambling eggs, "You tell me this all the time, Mama. And I tell you all the time, that you can hug and kiss me as long as you want."

"Well, that will be forever," Elena assured. "My wonderful girl. How did I get to be so lucky to have such a perfect daughter?"

"I'm not perfect."

"You are as close to perfect as they come, mi hija."

Gabriella changed the subject, embarrassed by her mother's steadfast love, "How was the movie last night?"

"Oh it was good! Your father even stayed awake through the whole thing," she joked about her husband's apparent inability to make it through most movies.

"Then it must have been very good," Gabriella laughed. "Where is Daddy?" She looked around for him.

"He went to the store. He wants to work on replacing some of those shrubs that Troy has destroyed," Elena winked at her daughter, referencing the plants Troy had mangled on his frequent visits to the Montez home.

"I told him to walk around," Gabriella defended with a bright smile on her face.

"How was your night with Troy?" Elena asked. She glanced at her daughter subtly, not wanting to embarrass her, but wanting to see her reaction to the question, nonetheless.

"He loves me too," Gabriella's answer was so softly spoken, that for a moment Elena thought she misheard. But when she saw the bright blush on Gabriella's face, she was sure she heard her correctly.

At this, Elena stopped cooking entirely so that she could bring Gabriella into her arms. She hugged her tightly and stroked her dark curls, "I'm so glad, mi hija. You deserve whatever makes you happy." If her daughter was going to have a first boyfriend, then she was glad it was Troy Bolton.

Gabriella listened to her mother's soothing voice and let her hold her, relieved by her reaction.

Soon enough, Elena pulled away so that she could frame Gabriella's face in her hands. Gabriella stared into her mother's kind eyes as she spoke to her, "This means we aren't leaving the pair of you alone anymore," Elena laughed as Gabriella blushed anew. "And we have to tell you dad, and we also need to figure out what this means for Troy as he's working at East High and you are a student."

"But I'm eighteen," Gabriella reminded softly. "And he's not technically an employee. Plus, he is almost done with his in-person work. He won't even be coming to East High anymore after next week. He will just be doing data analysis."

"I see you've given this a lot of thought," Elena finally let go of Gabriella's face. "You and Troy have talked about this?"

Gabriella nodded.

"And this won't affect his work at the university either?"

"We don't think so," Gabriella explained. "And it's not something we are announcing to the world. Just you, and Daddy, and the Boltons."

"I love Troy," Elena began, "but you are my baby, Gabriella, so I want to make sure this isn't going to negatively affect you either. I know you love him, but just in case, are you sure you want to start a relationship with him?"

Gabriella nodded without hesitation, "I love him so much, Mama. I've always loved him, but now it feels like I'm walking around holding my breath, and it's only when I'm with him that I can breathe."

"Mi hija," Elena cooed. When had her daughter grown up so much? The person standing in front of her was so bright, and brilliant, and beautiful. She was more than Elena could have ever asked for and looking at Gabriella now made her ache for all the things she could not give her over the years, or protect her from. Her young daughter was the bravest and strongest person she knew. Elena remembered her Gabriella from a couple of years ago, so shattered and lost after she was assaulted, but somehow she had picked herself up and carried on with life, though a dulled version of her previous self. It wasn't until this year that Elena had noticed how radiant she had become once again. If that was because of the way the neighbor boy made her feel about herself, then Elena owed him so much. His simple presence, the way he viewed Gabriella, and his tender treatment of her had reminded Gabriella of all the things she always was. Elena knew that Troy had always loved Gabriella, but to the extent, she had always been unsure until now.

"Te quiero con todo mi alma," Elena smiled at Gabriella, telling her what she told her often. "If Troy makes you happy, then I'm happy."

…

"You what?" Lucille leaned forward in her chair and peered at Troy, urging him to explain. She, Troy, and Jack were all lounging in the living room when Troy had quickly and nervously announced that he loved Gabriella.

"I'm in love with Gabriella," Troy said again with just as much nervousness as the first time.

Lucille looked at her husband, neither sure what to say. Then, Lucille looked at Troy silently for a long time. She tried to replay all the interactions she had noticed between the two young neighbors. Could she really be so blind as to not notice her son falling in love with the girl next door? Troy had always been thoughtful, attentive, and sweet when it came to Gabriella. That had not changed when he moved back home this year. He still smiled at her, hugged her, doted upon her, and spent time with her, but she had not known it was more. It made her question everything she knew about Troy and Gabriella.

"When Gabriella stayed the night and she slept in your bed, where did you sleep?" Lucille asked hesitantly, remembering that she saw Troy asleep on the pull out but not sure if she should believe this memory now that she had new information.

"Beside her," Troy admitted with a flush. His face and neck went red, and he looked down at his hands that twisted nervously in his lap.

"Son," Jack spoke this time, "you didn't…did you?"

"No!" Troy assured quickly with wide blue eyes. "She was just scared. She asked me to lay beside her. I couldn't tell her no."

Uncharacteristically, given the importance of the situation, Jack let out a deep laugh, "You've never been able to tell that girl no. I guess that should have been our first clue."

"This isn't funny, Jack," Lucille admonished. "Troy, I don't understand," she turned her attention back to her son, "I always thought you saw Gabriella as a little sister."

Troy shook his head as he looked into his mother's eyes. He could see how confused she was, "_You_ said she was like my sister. I just agreed because what else could I do? But if I think about it, what I've always felt for Gabriella has never been familial."

"But she's so young. You both are," Lucille sounded like she was pleading, pleading for him to reconsider a relationship with Gabriella. "And you have such a sweet relationship already. Why complicate that?"

Before Troy could respond, his father asked his own question, "How long have you loved her, Troy?"

Troy answered easily, "Forever."

"But how long have you been _in love_ with her?"

"I don't know," Troy admitted with a half-hearted shrug. "A few years? I thought about her so much while I was away for undergrad, but when I was thinking about graduate school and where to go, I thought about her almost every day. I told myself that U of A was a good place to go because I would get to be with family, it would be easy for me to do my research, and I could save money by living at home. All that's true, but I think the real reason I chose it was because I knew I would be close to her, and I missed her more than I missed anyone. But I really felt it this year, once I was back with her."

"I didn't even think you two were in close contact while you were away, Troy."

"We weren't. We emailed back and forth a little bit, but I think that's how I know it's real. We hardly talked to each other, but the whole time we were thinking about each other."

"What if something happens?" Lucille asked as gently as she could. "What if she says the same things about you that she said about Trent?"

Troy's heart plummeted to his stomach. What was she saying? "Trent assaulted Gabriella, and he lied about her which led to more people assaulting her," as Troy spoke his anger rose.

"I know, I know," Lucille held up her hands and lowered her voice, recognizing that Troy was becoming upset. He didn't realize that her intention behind the words was simply to protect the relationship they still had with the Montez family. After learning about Trent's behavior towards Gabriella, interactions between the Montezes and Boltons had changed; and Lucille didn't want them to change further, especially if this thing didn't work out between Gabriella and Troy.

"We believe Gabriella," Lucille assured. "But what if you start this relationship with her, and she gives you the wrong impression, and you end up engaging in some activity," she referenced sex vaguely, "and then she decides that she wasn't ready, so she blames you?"

Troy looked at his mother strangely, "That isn't how intimacy works; and how could you ever think Gabriella would do that? That is not what happened with Trent," Troy said definitively. "She told him to stop and he wouldn't."

"Troy, I don't think that's what your mother is saying," Jack tried to intervene.

"Then what is she saying?" Troy challenged. "Because it sounds like you are trying to defend your no good, piece of shit son by blaming Gabriella for leading him on." This conversation had taken an unexpected turn. Troy had only meant to tell his parents that he loved Gabriella, that he wanted to start a relationship with her; and naively, he thought that it was going to go better than this. After all, Gabriella had told him that her parents were hesitant, but overall okay with it. He thought he would get the same.

Troy sighed heavily, feeling depleted and disappointed, "I can't believe you would imply that Gabriella is in anyway at fault or that she would falsely accuse anyone. All I wanted to do was tell you that I love her. Now I don't know what to do, because you're basically defending the person who hurt the girl that I love more than anyone else in this world. She was right," Troy said sadly, "she said you would choose him over her, but I didn't think it would be possible. I thought you loved her as much as I do. How do I explain this to her without breaking her heart?"

"Troy," Lucille reached out for him, realizing the true weight of her words and hidden opinions.

Troy brushed her away and shook his head, "I can't stay here anymore." Troy stood and walked away.

…

He had been in his room for a couple of hours, packing up his belongings with no real idea where he would go. All he knew was that he couldn't live at home anymore. Not with the knowledge that Trent would be coming and going freely because his parents didn't fully believe Gabriella. He couldn't do that to her. He couldn't sit idly in a home that welcomed her assailant, that invited him over for weekly dinners. That would be like telling her that he didn't care what Trent had done. Troy loved her far too much for her to ever think that he was choosing someone else over her.

As Troy continued emptying his drawers, he heard a knock on his door. He turned around to see both of his parents standing in the doorway.

"Can we talk to you, son?" Jack asked gently.

"We don't want you to move out, Troy," Lucille told him, tears in her eyes.

"I know," Troy didn't look at them as he continued the task at hand, "but I don't have another choice. I can't let Gabriella think I'm okay sharing a home with the guy who assaulted her, who encouraged other people to do the same."

"We don't want Gabriella to think that about us either," Jack assured.

"That's exactly what she's going to think when she sees him coming over every weekend for dinner, Dad," Troy clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to scream at his parents.

"We've asked Trent not to come over to the house anymore," Lucille told Troy.

Troy looked up in surprise.

"But he's still our son. We know what he did was wrong, and we aren't making excuses for him, but we can't just cut him out of our lives. When you have children, you will understand," Lucille tried to reason. "We told him not to come over, but your father and I are going to visit him at the frat house or out for lunch. We want to help him."

"How is taking him out to lunch going to help him?" Troy was just becoming more upset by this whole conversation.

"We looked up some classes," Jack explained. "They're for offenders. We want him to take them, but he's not going to do that if we shut him out."

"We want Gabriella to feel safe here," Lucille changed tactics slightly, wanting to appeal to Troy in a way he would understand. "We love her too, Troy, even if you don't think it seems like it. In the long run, we think this could be for the best. If you marry Gabriella one day, she will be a part of our family too; and that means she will always have Trent in her life – whether she or you want that or not. At least this way we can get him some help so that it never happens again."


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

"Hey, Wildcat," Gabriella walked into the Bolton's garage and greeted Troy. It was a rare weekend that Troy and Gabriella were not consumed with thoughts of her consent classes, his research, her upcoming graduation, or anything else; and they had already planned to spend as much of it as possible with one another.

"Whatcha doin'?" Gabriella approached him in his garage. He stopped what he was doing to looked up at her from beneath the hood of an old truck. She was stunning as usual. He used a nearby rag to wipe the grease from his hands, before pulling her close. He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth once she was within his grasp. She could feel slight stubble as he did so, but it wasn't unwelcome.

"I haven't heard that name in a long time," he mused, looking down at her and brushing a loose curl behind her ear. She used to refer to him by the nickname years ago. Every time her parents brought her to one of his basketball games, it had been her signature greeting.

"I missed you," Gabriella told him even though they had seen each other last night. "I always miss you."

"I always miss you too," Troy's voice softened as he continued to stare into her lovely face.

"Anything I can do to help with this," Gabriella gestured to the truck and its several parts laid out on the work bench.

"I'm just trying to see if I can get her running," he referenced the beat up and certainly past its prime truck. He closed the hood and picked Gabriella up. She giggled as he sat her on it and came to stand between her legs.

"Why?" she asked, her fingers delving into his slightly sweaty locks. She smiled into his face, admiring how handsome he was. His blue eyes never ceased to dazzle her, and something about the dirt and oil on his face with the friction of newly developing stubble, coupled with the gentle ministrations of his hands on her thighs made her body tingle in a way that was becoming all too familiar when she was with him. He seemed rugged and all man right now. She pressed herself a bit closer to him, wanting to feel the heat and hard contours of his chest.

Troy shrugged, "Just a fun hobby." For a moment, Gabriella wasn't sure what he was talking about, too consumed with thoughts of primal urges. He was answering her question, "It's like a puzzle, you know. Figure out what's wrong, find the pieces, put them in correctly."

Gabriella's fingers continued to soothe through his disheveled hair as she tried desperately to listen to him continue to explain what he thought was wrong with the old truck and his plans to visit the junkyard later in the day. However, Troy recognized that she was not paying attention. Usually, her facial expression was soft with focus as she really listened, but right now it was like she was trying to hide something. Her face was slightly flushed as her fingers continued to flex and relax in his hair, and her free hand gripped loosely at his shirt, but what he really noticed was how she squirmed almost imperceptibly – like she was trying to get comfortable but didn't want him to notice.

His explanation of fixing the truck trailed off into silence when he realized what was happening. The hazy look in her eyes told him what she was thinking about. Without warning, he leaned in and kissed her lips, and the singular kiss progressed easily into the pair making out in the Bolton's garage. His hands slid up her legs and around her waist so that he could grip her ass firmly in his palms. The small moan she emitted was immediately swallowed within their kiss.

They had been dating for three months already. Everything was just like before – only better because now they had every reason to kiss and touch each other. And recently they had used every excuse to do so.

Gabriella melted into Troy's kiss and let it consume her whole body with desire. Gabriella knew she loved Troy, but she was honestly surprised by how much she enjoyed having a physical relationship with him. She thought there were pieces of herself too broken, too ruined to want a man to ever touch her after so many instances of being touched without her consent, but that wasn't the case with Troy. The intimacy they shared over the past few months was slow and gentle, and she felt like she would combust every time she looked into his eyes and saw just how much he loved her back. She liked when he touched, or licked, or kissed a new spot on her body; and by the ways he reacted to her, she could surmise that he liked it just as much.

She pressed herself closer to Troy as his lips descended, following the curve of her neck. She took the opportunity to catch her breath, "Are your parents home?"

Gabriella felt Troy shake his head against her neck. Things had been awkward with Troy's parents, and she didn't want their make out session to be one more rift between them. Lucille and Jack didn't look at her the same, and their conversations with her seemed forced. She wasn't angry at them the way Troy was. She knew the way they behaved was because they felt guilty. They felt guilty for not wanting to believe her completely. And that's what it was. They did not _want _to believe that their son had assaulted her. It was easier to just keep him away and try to progress as normal. That's why Gabriella wasn't angry. She was too sad, and tired, and hurt to be angry at them.

Troy had been honest with Gabriella and her parents immediately, letting them know that Jack and Lucille wouldn't allow Trent around the house, but that they were still seeing him and coddling him to an extent – indulging him in different ways in hopes of convincing him to take sexual offender classes. Learning about this had been painful for Gabriella, her only comfort knowing that Troy was furious at their approach. As painful and confusing as it was, she tried her hardest to see their perspective. What else could they do? Trent would be their son forever. At least they believed her enough to want Trent to get help.

Troy had also told her about his conversation with his parents regarding his love for Gabriella. That had been more terrible than anything. Knowing that his parents could misconstrue the way things happened with Trent, believing that she was capable of leading him on only to blame him for his actions later. That had changed things for her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had dinner at their house because it felt disingenuous. Nowadays it was more customary for Troy to spend all his time at Gabriella's house. She understood how different things were now for the Boltons, and a part of her couldn't help but feel guilty. She knew things would change, and she didn't want that. It had been the main reason she had never told anyone about Trent. But she reminded herself, it wasn't her fault the friendship between their families had disintegrated. It was Trent's. He hurt her. Gabriella had not done anything wrong. Trent was the one who tore everyone apart. Still, it saddened her that their relationship had changed. They used to refer to Gabriella as the daughter they never had. They didn't do that anymore. And as well-meaning as Jack and Lucille were by keeping Trent away, the way they never fully addressed what he had done to Gabriella made her recognize that she had never truly been like a daughter to them – just the girl next door that they liked so long as she didn't upset the balance.

Let's go inside," Troy's lips were still on her neck, pulling her from her thoughts. "They won't be back until this evening.

"Okay," despite Gabriella's fear of things becoming more tense and awkward by being caught making out with Troy, the fear wasn't enough to dissuade her from taking advantage of the fact that Jack and Lucille would not be home for several hours.

Gabriella took the lead and giggled as Troy chased her into his house and up the stairs. She stumbled on the fourth step, giving Troy the opportunity to catch up to her once she reached the landing on the second floor. Gabriella laughed loudly as she felt Troy's arms wrap around her waist and they stumbled together into Troy's bedroom.

Gabriella pulled away and began walking slowly backward towards Troy's bed. She held her hand out to him and he was close behind as they both climbed into the bed. Troy sat with his back against the headboard and his legs outstretched in front of him. Gabriella followed suit, feeling Troy sling his arm around her shoulder.

"Want to watch a movie?" he asked, not wanting to assume that she wanted to continue their previous activities.

"No," her expression was tender with hidden inhibitions as she moved so that she was straddling him. "Is this okay?" she blushed. So far, their physical intimacy consisted of lots of kissing and touching, but they had never been alone with the amount of time that was now at their disposal. The most alone time they could get was when they would sneak off to Troy's treehouse. This was different. Troy's parents were gone, and so were Gabriella's. They had time to do anything they wanted, and Gabriella really wanted to do some things. Troy turned her on like no other, but he also took her breath away, and she wanted to continue to explore what that meant for them.

As Gabriella sat in his lap, the newness of it all so clearly evident, Troy was overcome with a love so deep for her that he couldn't speak. His eyes searched her face, and his hands caressed her cheeks. He had known her almost his entire life, but it was like he was just now seeing her. When he was finally able to speak, he told her, "I love you so much, Gabriella. Telling you I love you doesn't even feel like enough."

Gabriella pressed her forehead against his and let their noses brush as well, "You make me feel like the eighth wonder of the world, Troy. Like I'm something wonderful."

"You are," his hands slipped to her neck and his fingers rubbed gently against her creamy skin.

Gabriella closed the inch of space between them and kissed Troy. They held each other close and continued to lathe one another with the physical manifestation of what they felt. They took their time exploring this new realm of their relationship, each new sensation accompanied by a familiar, reassuring press of the lips. She rocked forward in his lap, and a simultaneous wave of pleasure washed over them as their pelvises came into a contact not known before. At this, Troy leaned forward so that he could lay Gabriella down beneath him. From her new vantage point, her hands slipped under his shirt and roamed the hard contours of his back and chest. Troy moaned against her mouth as her hands explored his chest and their lower bodies remained connected, both sensations only furthering his desire for Gabriella, and her desire for him.

She felt his own hands against the naked skin of her thighs, encouraging her to wrap a leg around his waist; and she would be forever grateful that she had decided to wear a dress. The floaty fabric fell against her stomach, exposing most of her lower body once her leg was securely against Troy; and she could feel his hands taking advantage of her expanse of naked skin. His fingers were rough, and gentle, and hot all at once, and Gabriella never wanted the feeling to end. She tugged at Troy's shirt in an effort to remove it, wanting to feel more of him as well; and he stopped kissing her in the process so that he could dazzle her with a smile that made her feel like nothing in the world existed but this moment.

Once his shirt was strewn somewhere across the floor, Troy went back to kissing Gabriella. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, and he wasn't sure how it was possible for a person to taste so good.

"I love you so much," he told her sloppily, not wanting to end their kiss.

"I love you too. Always have," Gabriella confessed beautifully.

"Tell me when to stop, okay," Troy looked deep into her eyes, wanting to make sure that she knew that he would never do anything she didn't want.

"I don't want you to stop," her face flushed crimson, making Troy smile.

"You can change your mind though," he told her. "Promise you'll tell me if you want me to stop."

"I promise," Gabriella told him, falling even more in love.

"I'm gonna go grab a condom from the bathroom," Troy said. "But it doesn't mean I'm expecting…you know. It's…it's for just in case. I want us to be safe."

Gabriella nodded, all the trust in the world written on her face, in her eyes. Gabriella giggled as he ran to his en suite, and she could hear him rifling through drawers. When he returned, he stopped in his track, staring at Gabriella. His face was soft and open, like he couldn't look away.

"What?" she asked shyly.

"Nothing," Troy assured, her question knocking him out of his trance. He walked slowly towards her, "You just look so beautiful, Gabriella. And I can't believe that I get to be here with you. That you want to be here with me."

Gabriella's heart fluttered as she was reminded of why the thought of making love with Troy didn't terrify her, "I would never want to be anywhere else or with anyone else. Only you." It was because he loved her with such abandon. It had taken them so long to get to this place, this relationship, but now that they were here, Troy loved her so completely. He never held back in telling her just what she meant to him, and he never had trouble showing her how much he loved her. She moved so that she was sitting on her knees and she stared directly, intensely at Troy as she unzipped her dress, letting the fabric slip off her body effortlessly. Their eyes remained connected as Troy removed his belt and jeans, leaving them both in only their underwear. Neither had anticipated that the day would progress like this, but they also couldn't imagine it any other way.

Troy placed the condom on his bedside table before joining Gabriella in the bed again. He took her in his arms and laid her down gently. It didn't take much for their previous activities to resume, this time their hands not knowing where to start first. Troy's hands slid around her body to her back, his fingertips brushing against the clasp of her bra.

"Can I take it off of you, Gabriella? I want to see all of you."

She nodded, her sense of modesty evaporating at seeing the truth and tenderness in Troy's face.

After a bit of effort, Troy finally unclasped her bra, and she smiled at realizing he was not _too _efficient at the task.

His fingers fluttered gently against her breasts, "I'll get better at it, I promise," he husked, barely able to speak as he drank in the image of her.

Gabriella's breath hitched, the sensation of his fingertips drawing light designs on her exposed flesh making her dizzy, "I love that it's something you have to practice at," Gabriella explained while simultaneously trying to remember to breathe. "I know you've been with other girls, but this helps me know that it wasn't too serious."

"Hard to have an invested, committed relationship when I always had thoughts of the neighbor girl back home in the back of my mind," Troy smiled, and the admittance brought a soft blush to his face. He had not ever really explained to Gabriella the extent to which he had missed her while he was away.

"Did you really?" Gabriella sighed, visibly swooning. "I didn't think you thought about me at all. I thought I was just the little girl next door to you."

"I thought about you a lot, Gabriella. I know I wasn't good at keeping in touch, but honestly, I didn't know what to say; and I didn't know how to admit to myself that my fourteen-year-old neighbor meant more to me than any co-ed ever could."

"Your fourteen-year-old neighbor would have loved to hear that."

"The timing wasn't right," Troy caressed her cheek. "But it is now. You're graduating in a couple of weeks, and we'll have all summer to just be together."

Gabriella nodded, coming closer so that she could brush her lips against Troy's in a feathery kiss, "I want you to make love to me."

"I want to more than anything in the world," Troy promised. "But I don't want it to hurt you. I'm going to touch you first, okay?" he asked.

"Okay," Gabriella's voice was a whisper.

Troy encouraged her to lay back on the bed. Once she had, his hands went to her waist, pulling her panties slowly down her body before removing his own underwear – leaving them both completely exposed to one another.

"I'm not going to pretend I'm the most experienced at this," Troy admitted, his blue eyes full of honesty.

"We'll learn together," Gabriella propped herself on her elbows so that she could see him more fully. "I know some things I like. I'll show you if you want."

"Gabriella, I cannot even explain to you how fucking sexy that sounds."

Her face blossomed as blood rushed to her cheeks, but Troy was quick to take her into is arms and kiss any shyness away.

"I really liked what we were doing earlier," Gabriella told Troy as their lips parted for much needed air.

"Which part?"

"This part," she leaned back and pulled Troy on top of her, her leg immediately going around his waist.

They both stilled and had to catch their breath as their pelvises came into contact the way they had earlier, this time with no barrier.

"Oh my god. You feel so good," Troy told her with his forehead against hers.

"You too," Gabriella was surprised she could still form words.

Troy rocked his hips forward creating a steady rhythm, neither of them lost to the idea that their bodies would be mimicking this exact action later as well, only with Troy buried inside her.

"Does it feel okay?" Troy asked, his voice gravely with pleasure.

"If it felt any better, I might die," she could feel him hardening as he continued to rub himself against her.

"You're getting wet," Troy told her unnecessarily. "Feels so good, but I have to stop."

"Why?" the grip of her leg around his waist tightened, wanting to hold him in place.

"Because I'm about to come."

"Oh," her voice cooed, and she dropped her leg from his waist.

"But I can still make you come," Troy brushed the hair out of Gabriella's face and kissed her. He came to lay right beside her, their shoulders touching. They each turned their heads to look at one another, their eyes connected in an intense stare, "Show me what you like, what you want me to do."

To Troy's surprise, Gabriella did not hesitate to show him. She reached between them and took his hand gently in her own and explained, "I want you to touch right here," she guided his hand between her legs, "but you don't have to put your fingers inside. Just right here," she positioned his hand so that his middle finger lay right on top of her clitoris.

Troy felt her body tense when he began to apply pressure and massage her experimentally.

"Wait," the word hissed and turned into a moan. "Should I touch you too?"

"Do you want to?"

Gabriella nodded. Their proximity causing her curls to brush against his face in the process.

Troy took her small, soft hand in his this time. He wrapped it around his cock, "Just squeeze, and up and down too."

Their stare never wavered, blue and brown eyes remaining connected as they pleasured one another.

When Gabriella's breathing increased, and Troy was fairly certain she was close to orgasm, he stretched his neck so that he could reach her and kiss her fervently while his fingers sped up their movements. As he kissed her, he felt her body jerk a few times, and she let go of his cock before her own body went limp. When her breathing returned to normal, she looked over at Troy, flushed and smiling.

She rolled so that she was laying on top of him. Her mouth was on his almost instantly, their tongues dueling languidly.

"That felt very good," she smiled into his face and brushed her nose against his. Then she added seductively, "Feel how wet I am now. I want you inside me."

"Baby," Troy groaned in arousal, his hands slipping down to her ass. He gave her a firm squeeze, which applied more pressure to his hardened cock, before his fingers slipped between her cheeks so that he could push them within her pussy. True to her words, she was so wet.

"Please," Gabriella cooed into his ear as she pushed herself back so that his fingers were even more fully inside her. The word was low and sultry, and Troy wasn't sure how such a demure, good girl could also be the sexiest person alive.

Troy flexed his fingers a couple of times so that he could see Gabriella's reaction before he flipped their bodies, and he rose up, leaving Gabriella laying on the bed. He reached for the small foil packet that he had put on the bedside table. Gabriella watched him with fascination as he ripped the packet open unceremoniously and rolled the condom onto is cock. She could feel her own arousal slipping down and wetting her inner thighs, but she wasn't naïve enough to think that their first time having sex was going to be effortless. Troy was big. Gabriella knew that somehow he would fit inside her, but she wasn't sure how.

Troy caught Gabriella staring between his legs, "You still want to do this?" he asked her unsurely.

"Of course," she looked up at him with more love and adoration than he thought he deserved. A small smile played across her lips. "I love you, and I want to make love with you. Do you want to do it?" she then asked with just as much uncertainty.

"More than anything," he leaned down to kiss her. "I just don't want to hurt you."

"People have been having sex for thousands of years," her voice was soft, "surely you and I can figure out how to do this too."

"Once I have it in," he referenced his erection, "touch yourself like I touched you just now," Troy told her. "I think that will make it feel better for you while we get the hang of it."

Gabriella nodded and positioned her hand on her flat stomach, "You've got to actually, you know, put it in though, Troy," she teased, and he smiled back at her.

Troy positioned himself with one hand and used his free hand to rub Gabriella's clit again. He placed his hand on her pubic bone so that he could use his thumb to rub small circles. His other hand held his cock as he guided it into Gabriella. She hissed and her hips jerked, causing Troy to stop with just the tip inside of her.

"Keep going," she encouraged. Troy looked down at her. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were gripping at the pillow behind her head. "It doesn't feel too bad. Just sensory overload."

Troy nodded even though she couldn't see him and continued to move slowly.

"God, you feel so big."

Troy watched as his cock slowly disappeared into Gabriella, and once he was all the way in, he nearly collapsed on top of her.

"Fuck, you feel so good, Gabriella. You're so tight."

She loosened her grip on the pillow in favor of sliding her fingers through his hair. Their foreheads were pressed against one another and their chests were touching. They could not have physically been any closer to one another. Gabriella licked his lips, encouraging him to kiss her slow and deep and wet.

"I'm going to move now. I think you should start to touch yourself."

"Okay," Gabriella's hand moved between their bodies so that she could access her own body, knowing exactly how to touch herself while also having sex with Troy aroused them both.

Troy moved in and out of her, offering a slur of praise for how good she felt, how tight and warm and wet she was, telling her how much he liked watching her touch herself while he made love to her. He continued until he felt the muscles of her inner walls contracting around his cock.

"Troy, I'm coming," she sighed deeply and let the feelings of pleasure wash over her.

"I can feel it," Troy moaned, burying his face in her neck. "I'm close too." And he was. He rocked in and out of her a couple more times before his own orgasm overtook him and he lay slumped against Gabriella.

Neither made a move clean up. Troy still lay against Gabriella as she peppered his face and forehead with light, affectionate kisses.

"So good, Gabriella," he mumbled into her shoulder. "You are so perfect and that was so good."

Gabriella snuggled against him, "It was good for me too. I love you."

"Hey," Troy husked. He used his hand to tilt her chin up so that she was looking at him, "I love you too."

"Will you just hold me for a while?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled at her, "That sounds perfect. Let me just clean up a little," he looked down at the condom hanging loosely from his cock.

Gabriella laughed softly, "Let's change the blanket too. It's wet."

"That was all you, baby," Troy winked at her.

Gabriella pulled one of Troy's clean tee shirts on while he cleaned up and went to get a new blanket. She didn't concern herself with putting her panties back on as she walked down the hallway to toss the soiled blanket into the washer.

By the time she made it back to Troy's room, he was lounging on his bed. He smiled at her and opened his arms wide, without a word. Gabriella went to him willingly. She snuggled beneath the blankets with him and could feel that he was still completely naked. Troy brought her into his arms, spooning her. Her bottom fit snuggly in the curve of his lap. She felt him slide his hand beneath the shirt she was wearing, and he squeezed her breast gently, comfortingly.

"I feel like this sort of snuggling is going to lead to something else," Gabriella turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder at Troy.

"Only if you want it to," Troy told her as he pulled her closer in his arms, giving her a squeeze. He kissed her cheek. "I'm happy to just cuddle you for a while."

Gabriella put her own hand beneath her shirt and atop Troy's hand. She let her fingers lace between his as she held his hand in place on her breast.

"Let's just cuddle for now," she yawned.

"I like that idea."

And they both fell into an easy sleep.

Gabriella and Troy were in such a state of deep sleep an hour later that they did not hear the front door open, nor did they hear feet ascending the staircase. It wasn't until harsh words ripped through the quiet air that Troy and Gabriella were jolted awake.

"And you expect people to believe you're not a slut when you act like this?"

It took Troy and Gabriella a moment to focus on who was speaking. They looked towards the door and saw Trent standing there, twirling Gabriella's panties on his finger.


End file.
